NICU Babies Parent Support

Latest Episodes:

S12 E152: Channeling Grief Into Good ft. Charles & Claire George Jul 13, 2026

Show notes

July is National Bereaved Parents Awareness Month. Twice a week, we are re-releasing past podcast episodes honoring a variety of families and circumstances in their grief.

Trigger warning: this episode centers on infant loss and grief.

In this episode, Claire and Charles George share the story of their son, Thomas, who was born with a congenital heart defect and passed away at the age of three. They candidly discuss the profound grief that followed his death, how they supported one another through loss, and the challenges of grieving as a couple. Their inspiring conversation highlights how they transformed their heartbreak into a legacy of service, channeling their grief into helping and supporting other families facing similar journeys.

📺Socials 📺

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🔗Links

Full Circle Grief Center

Claire's Website

Worden's Four Tasks of Mourning

Music

Thriving Together [Full version] by MusicLFiles

Free download: https://filmmusic.io/song/10332-thriving-together-full-version

License (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

Bright Colors Of Life by MusicLFiles

Free download: https://filmmusic.io/song/7855-bright-colors-of-life

License (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

S12 E151: Immeasurable Love ft. Keira Sorrells Jul 08, 2026

Show notes

July is National Bereaved Parents Awareness Month. Twice a week, we are re-releasing past podcast episodes honoring a variety of families and circumstances in their grief.

Trigger warning: this episode centers on infant loss and grief.

In this episode, Keira Sorrells shares her journey through infertility, a high-risk multiple pregnancy, life in the NICU with her triplets, and the heartbreaking loss of her daughter, Zoe, at 14 months old. She reflects on navigating grief while parenting Zoe's surviving sisters, the impact of loss on her marriage, and the ways grief evolves over time. Keira's story is a powerful testament to enduring love, resilience, and finding purpose through advocacy and her work supporting other bereaved families.

📺Socials 📺

Instagram | Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest

🔗Links

Preemie Parent Alliance

Music

Thriving Together [Full version] by MusicLFiles

Free download: https://filmmusic.io/song/10332-thriving-together-full-version

License (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

Bright Colors Of Life by MusicLFiles

Free download: https://filmmusic.io/song/7855-bright-colors-of-life

License (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

S12 E150: Grief's Tasks ft. Becca Van Tassel, LCSW Jul 06, 2026

Show notes

July is National Bereaved Parents Awareness Month. Twice a week, we are re-releasing past podcast episodes honoring a variety of families and circumstances in their grief.

Trigger warning: this episode centers on infant loss and grief.

In this episode, we visit with grief counselor Becca Van Tassel about the challenging work of navigating grief after the loss of a baby. We explore why grief can be so painful, how it differs from depression, and practical ways families can support one another through mourning, including coping with guilt, honoring a child's memory, and helping siblings process loss. Grounded in Worden's Four Tasks of Mourning, this conversation offers compassionate guidance and hope for bereaved NICU families seeking to understand and move through their grief.

📺Socials 📺

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🔗Links

Austin Center for Grief & Loss

Worden's Four Tasks of Mourning

Book: On Grief & Grieving by Elisabeth Kubler-Ross and David Kessler

Book: On Death & Dying by Elisabeth Kubler-Ross and Ira Byock

Music

Thriving Together [Full version] by MusicLFiles

Free download: https://filmmusic.io/song/10332-thriving-together-full-version

License (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

Bright Colors Of Life by MusicLFiles

Free download: https://filmmusic.io/song/7855-bright-colors-of-life

License (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

S11 E149: Calling All NICU Baby Cuddlers ft. Lynn Harris Jun 17, 2026

Show notes

Lynn Harris is a retired U.S. Army veteran and longtime volunteer at St. David's Medical Center in Austin. For more than a decade, he has served in the hospital's neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) as a "baby cuddler," providing comfort and gentle care to premature and medically fragile newborns. In this episode, Lynn encourages others, especially men, to consider what he considers to be "the most fun job I've ever had."

💚 Connect with Kathryn Whitaker

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💚 Connect with St. David's Austin Medical Center

Facebook | X | YouTube | Website

📺Socials 📺

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🔗Links

People magazine

Texas Monthly magazine

Music

Thriving Together [Full version] by MusicLFiles

Free download: https://filmmusic.io/song/10332-thriving-together-full-version

License (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

Bright Colors Of Life by MusicLFiles

Free download: https://filmmusic.io/song/7855-bright-colors-of-life

License (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

S11 E148: Calling All NICU Grandfathers ft. Avid Noble Jun 03, 2026

Show notes

Avid Noble's introduction to Hand to Hold came first as a third-party vendor, helping a friend of a friend. A few years later, it was Avid reaching out to Hand to Hold for help when his first grandbaby was in the NICU. In this touching episode, Avid shares his greatest fears, how he stepped in to help, what he credits are the hallmarks of good boundaries and how the smallest moments made up his best days in the NICU with his grandson, "Big Man" Maverick.

💚 Connect with Kathryn Whitaker

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💚 Connect with Avid Noble

📺Socials 📺

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🔗Links

Hand to Hold podcast, Episode 113: How Can I Support My NICU Grandbaby (NICU Grandmothers)

Music

Thriving Together [Full version] by MusicLFiles

Free download: https://filmmusic.io/song/10332-thriving-together-full-version

License (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

Bright Colors Of Life by MusicLFiles

Free download: https://filmmusic.io/song/7855-bright-colors-of-life

License (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

S11 E147: Calling All Micropreemie NICU Dads ft. Lucas Manring May 20, 2026

Show notes

Everything was normal, until it wasn't. Lucas Manring's first baby was born via emergency c-section at 25 weeks and he found himself plunged into fatherhood faster than he imagined. Lucas shares how a strong community of men, physical fitness and honest communication with his wife enabled him to walk out of the NICU with confidence, purpose and deep gratitude.

💚 Connect with Kathryn Whitaker

Instagram | Facebook | Website

💚 Connect with Lucas Manring

📺Socials 📺

Instagram | Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest

Music

Thriving Together [Full version] by MusicLFiles

Free download: https://filmmusic.io/song/10332-thriving-together-full-version

License (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

Bright Colors Of Life by MusicLFiles

Free download: https://filmmusic.io/song/7855-bright-colors-of-life

License (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

S11 E146: Calling All Bereaved & Veteran NICU Dads ft. Matt Bialkowski May 06, 2026

Show notes

Matt Bialkowski is a two-time NICU dad and bereaved father. His first stint in the NICU left him struggling and seeking purpose, but over the course of their four-month NICU stay, Matt found renewed purpose. After their second pregnancy ended in loss and then another baby placed them back in the NICU, he walked in, and out, a different man. Today, Matt's heart is with other men as he shares important conversations in his podcast, Dads of the NICU, helping NICU dads in Australia, and around the world, find healthy ways to cope with a premature birth.

💚 Connect with Kathryn Whitaker

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💚 Connect with Matt Bialkowski

Instagram | Facebook | Podcast

📺Socials 📺

Instagram | Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest

🔗Links

Podcast, Healthy Habits as a NICU Dad

Miracle Babies Foundation

Life's Little Treasures

Music

Thriving Together [Full version] by MusicLFiles

Free download: https://filmmusic.io/song/10332-thriving-together-full-version

License (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

Bright Colors Of Life by MusicLFiles

Free download: https://filmmusic.io/song/7855-bright-colors-of-life

License (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

S11 E145: A Men's Mental Health Expert ft. Sheehan Fisher, Ph.D Apr 29, 2026

Show notes

Dr. Sheehan Fisher's entire career has been focused on the mothers and fathers unique contributions to the family and child health, with a specialization in the emerging field of father mental health. As a clinical psychologist at Northwestern, he has a heart for helping dads understand the effects of psychosocial stress on their mood, parenting, and ultimately infant/child health outcomes. His expert advice and wisdom will be a gift to dads who listen.

💚 Connect with Kathryn Whitaker

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💚 Connect with Sheehan Fisher

X: https://x.com/SheehanDFisher

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sheehandfisher

Website: https://www.sheehanfisher.com/

📺Socials 📺

Instagram | Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest

🔗Links

Postpartum Support International

Huffington Post: Why We Need to be Talking about PPD in Dads

Huffington Post: We Must Stop Treating Fathers as the Appendix of the Family's Health

Music

Thriving Together [Full version] by MusicLFiles

Free download: https://filmmusic.io/song/10332-thriving-together-full-version

License (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

Bright Colors Of Life by MusicLFiles

Free download: https://filmmusic.io/song/7855-bright-colors-of-life

License (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

S11 E144: Calling All Military NICU Dads ft. Adam Wood Apr 15, 2026

Show notes

With a military career that spans more than 20 years, Adam Wood thought his training would prepare him for a NICU stay. While there were some similarities, he discovered that learning and advocacy were in his new battle plans as he supported his wife and their miracle baby. That newfound role instilled a strong desire in Adam to author books for NICU families, as well as provide much-needed levity on social media.

💚 Connect with Kathryn Whitaker

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💚 Connect with Adam Wood

Instagram | Facebook | X | Website

📺Socials 📺

Instagram | Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest

🔗Links

Books for families of NICU babies

Dr. Prem Fort, Neonatologist

Music

Thriving Together [Full version] by MusicLFiles

Free download: https://filmmusic.io/song/10332-thriving-together-full-version

License (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

Bright Colors Of Life by MusicLFiles

Free download: https://filmmusic.io/song/7855-bright-colors-of-life

License (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

S11 E143: Calling All NICU Co-Parenting Dads ft. Aaron Vasquez Apr 01, 2026

Show notes

When Aaron's (then) wife developed pre-eclampsia and was ushered to the hospital in an ambulance, he quickly found himself the dad of a 29-weeker. He was wholly unprepared for the sleeplessness, the worry and the cadence of the NICU. In this episode, he shares what he did to rediscover his mental health, how he's navigating co-parenting with his ex-wife, the hallmarks of his best NICU days and how fatherhood has reframed his career as a professional chef.

💚 Connect with Kathryn Whitaker

Instagram | Facebook | Website

💚 Connect with Aaron Vasquez

Nourish Texas | Website

📺Socials 📺

Instagram | Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest

Music

Thriving Together [Full version] by MusicLFiles

Free download: https://filmmusic.io/song/10332-thriving-together-full-version

License (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

Bright Colors Of Life by MusicLFiles

Free download: https://filmmusic.io/song/7855-bright-colors-of-life