Introduction
Welcome to the Empowering NICU Parents’ Podcast!
Our podcast is dedicated to supporting, educating, and empowering parents navigating the challenges of having a baby in the NICU.
In honor of NICU Awareness Month, you will hear from Mollie Keen, the proud mother of Nash—a remarkable little boy who has defied all odds.
Born at 21 0/7 weeks and weighing just 285 grams, Nash’s chance of survival was essentially nonexistent. But Mollie and her husband, Randall, refused to give up on their son. With fierce determination, they transferred to University of Iowa Stead Family Children’s Hospital, where an extraordinary team—guided by a steadfast belief and culture of giving infants at his gestation a chance at life—stood ready to fight alongside them.
From the moment he arrived, Nash showed a strength and will to live that has left everyone in awe—especially his parents. He endured procedures, setbacks, and months of intensive care—but each challenge seemed to fuel his determination even more. Mollie describes watching him with absolute amazement, inspired every day by his quiet, unwavering fight.
He has since been recognized by Guinness World Records as the most premature baby to survive.
In this episode, Mollie takes us inside their family’s story—the difficult path it took to get to where they are today, Nash’s incredible NICU journey—the terrifying and traumatic moments, the small but mighty victories, and the resilience that continues to inspire everyone. Whether you’re walking through your own NICU journey as a parent, are a member of the care team, or just cheering from the sidelines, this powerful story will move you, uplift you, and remind you that miracles can rise from even the smallest beginnings!
The Why Behind Empowering NICU Parents – Empowering NICU Parents' Podcast
- The Why Behind Empowering NICU Parents
- From NICU Experience to Nonprofit Mission: A Family’s Journey to Today Is a Good Day
- The Lifelong Journey and Impact of Premature Birth: What Families Should Know
- Wave of Light: Finding Light After Loss
- Culture, Belief, and a Committed Team: The University of Iowa NICU Redefines What’s Possible
Episode Sponsors
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Our NICU Roadmap
Our NICU Roadmap is the only NICU journal parents will need. Our journal is a great resource for NICU parents with educational content, answers to many of their questions, a full glossary plus specific areas to document their baby’s progress each day while in the NICU. Our NICU Roadmap equips parents with questions to ask their baby’s care team each day as well as a designated place to keep track of their baby’s weight, lab values, respiratory settings, feedings, and the plan of care each day. Most importantly, Our NICU Roadmap guides parents and empowers them so they can confidently become and remain an active member of their baby’s care team.
Our NICU Roadmap is available for purchase on Amazon or contact us at empoweringnicuparents@yahoo.com to order in bulk at a discounted price for your hospital or organization.
Click HERE for additional information and images of Our NICU Roadmap.
Newborn Holiday Cards
Celebrate every one of your baby’s first holidays with these beautiful, unique holiday cards. There is a card for every major and minor holiday so you will not miss capturing the perfect photo opportunity during your baby’s first year!
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Episode 74
Our Guest
Mollie Keen
Mollie Keen and her husband, Randall, make their home in Des Moines, Iowa. The two first met on a cruise in 2015, and after several years of building their life together, they married in 2021. Family has always been at the heart of their story—Randall has a 16-year-old son from a previous marriage who lives in Nashville, Tennessee, and they treasure the time they get to spend with him during holidays and visits.
Beginning Their Journey to Parenthood
Mollie opens up about her and her husband Randall’s dream of starting a family. Early in their journey, Mollie was diagnosed with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) and began treatment to help them conceive. Not long after their wedding, they were thrilled to learn they were expecting a baby girl they had lovingly named McKinley.
In September 2023, however, Mollie went into preterm labor and tragically delivered McKinley at home. After her loss, doctors diagnosed Mollie with cervical insufficiency, explaining that any future pregnancies would require a preventative cerclage. This heartbreaking loss left Mollie and Randall devastated, yet determined to try again—with new knowledge, new hope, and an unshakable love for the family they dreamed of building.
Choosing Hope: The Journey to Iowa City
Just six months after losing McKinley, Mollie Keen became pregnant again—this time with Nash Keen. A cerclage was placed at 13 weeks, and she and her husband, Randall, approached the pregnancy with a mix of deep hope and guarded caution. They avoided buying baby clothes or setting up a nursery, silently protecting their hearts as they prayed this pregnancy would be different.
But at her 20-week scan, Mollie’s world came crashing down again. The doctor told her she was already two centimeters dilated with bulging membranes. She remembers sitting in the exam room, numb and stunned, thinking, “I can’t believe this is happening again.” Their local hospital explained they would not intervene before 22 weeks, and Mollie left feeling like history was poised to repeat itself—helpless, heartbroken, and desperate to find another path.
Through an online support group for women with Cervical Insufficiency, Mollie shared what was happening and received a life-changing reply from another mother: the team at University of Iowa Stead Family Children’s Hospital was resuscitating infants born as early as 21 weeks. Clinging to that glimmer of hope, she and Randall made the urgent drive to Iowa City, praying they weren’t too late.
Upon arrival, Mollie was admitted and soon met with the neonatology team, who gently but honestly explained the risks, the slim odds, and what resuscitation at 21 weeks would entail. Unfortunately, she had a difficult time concentrating on what they were saying because just prior to their arrival, her water broke and she started experiencing painful contractions.
Luckily, despite the chaos that filled the room, Mollie’s best friend stepped in and ferociously advocated for Nash and Mollie. But, the neonatology team made it clear, she had to make it to 21 0/7 weeks prior to their team attempting any life-saving measures.
Nash’s Arrival at 21 0/7 weeks’ gestation
In the early morning hours, just as Mollie Keen reached exactly 21 0/7 weeks, everything changed. She felt a pulsing sensation and knew something wasn’t right. Within moments, her room filled with nurses as they moved her onto a delivery bed and rushed her to labor and delivery. The timing was everything—reaching 21 weeks meant the neonatology team at University of Iowa Stead Family Children’s Hospital could now attempt life-saving measures.
In a blur of urgency, Nash entered the world weighing just 285 grams—smaller than a can of soda, his skin still translucent, and his body so fragile. The NICU team, who had been standing by ready, immediately went to work. Because of his size, one of the biggest challenges was whether they could successfully place an endotracheal tube small enough to secure his airway.
As they stabilized Mollie, Randall stood close to the warmer, overseeing every movement of the team, his eyes fixed on their tiny boy as they gently but swiftly worked to stabilize him. Against all odds, they successfully intubated him and transferred him to the NICU.
Those first hours were filled with uncertainty. Mollie remembers visiting his bedside in a wheelchair, overwhelmed by the heat of his isolette and the maze of tubes, wires, and machines keeping him alive. Nash’s skin looked impossibly thin, his movements faint but determined.
Despite the fragility of those first days, Nash’s vital signs held steady—his quiet fight already defying the predictions. Mollie describes those early moments as surreal and terrifying, yet threaded with awe. Her son had made it into the world, and somehow, he was holding on.
Nash’s NICU Journey
For the first three weeks, Mollie was not able to hold Nash. When the day finally came for their first skin-to-skin experience, it was one of the most emotional and unforgettable moments of her life. A small team of two or three nurses and a respiratory therapist carefully worked together to transfer him to her chest, making sure every tube and wire stayed in place. Mollie remembers how anxious she was, terrified that something might go wrong—but as soon as Nash was placed on her chest, she broke down in tears. After weeks of only looking at him through the isolette, she could finally feel him against her, and she never wanted to let go.
In those early months, holding Nash remained rare—once every few days as he could tolerate it—and Randall didn’t get to hold him until much later, a couple of months into his NICU stay. Day after day, Mollie watched in awe as Nash quietly fought through every obstacle in front of him. He underwent four surgeries during his hospitalization, including an ileostomy at just three weeks old after a tear in his colon. Even after major procedures, Nash seemed to come back fighting, like nothing could break his spirit.
🏡 Coming Home!
After 189 days in the NICU at University of Iowa Stead Family Children’s Hospital, the day finally came for Nash to go home. Mollie remembers feeling a mix of overwhelming excitement and deep uncertainty. She had spent nearly every single day at his bedside, doing all of his cares, yet the thought of leaving the safety net of the NICU filled her with nerves.
She described it as feeling like someone was taking away her “floaty”—the support and reassurance of having the nurses right there if something went wrong. Even though she knew Nash better than anyone and had learned how to care for him, she still questioned if she was ready to do it alone.
The two-hour drive home was the most stressful ride of her life. His pulse oximeter alarmed nearly the entire way, and she and Randall were on edge the whole time. Just two days later, their fears were realized when Nash became ill and was readmitted—this time to the PICU—with Rhino Enterovirus, where he spent another 25 days. Mollie admitted that stay was even harder than their time in the NICU, because it was a new team who didn’t know Nash or their journey.
Life After the NICU
Since coming home from the hospital, Nash has been thriving. Mollie describes him as calm, laid back, and full of life—a happy baby who rarely cries unless he’s in pain and who lights up every room with his smile and laughter. After everything he endured, seeing him so content has been incredibly healing for their family.
Nash now attends a medical daycare in Des Moines, Iowa, which gives Mollie peace of mind as she’s returned to work. The daycare has a nurse on staff at all times and provides him with regular physical, occupational, and speech therapy, so he can continue making progress each day without Mollie having to take him to multiple appointments.
He still follows closely with several specialists at University of Iowa Stead Family Children’s Hospital, including pulmonology, cardiology, and neonatology, and those appointments are gradually becoming more spaced out as he continues to do well. Nash is now 14 months old, he remains on a small amount of oxygen, he weighs 20 pounds, and is starting to roll over!
Reflections and Lessons From the NICU
Looking back, what stands out most to Mollie Keen about their time in the NICU at University of Iowa Stead Family Children’s Hospital is Nash’s resilience. She said that is ultimately how they made it through—because Nash was so strong. She never realized just how strong these tiny babies are until she saw it firsthand, and watching him fight showed her how strong they were as parents, too.
Early on, another NICU parent told her the NICU is a roller coaster—there will be good days and bad days, and you have to take it one day at a time and not focus on the long term. Mollie said that mindset helped her survive those months and reminded her to celebrate the small victories.
She also found comfort and connection through other parents. While staying at the Ronald McDonald House, she met other NICU moms who were going through the same thing, and they still keep in touch today. Every Tuesday, the hospital also offered a parent group where she could step away from the NICU, make something for Nash, and talk with other parents about what they were all going through.
Mollie says taking care of her mental health was also essential. Their room didn’t have windows, and the days felt long and isolating. She encourages other NICU parents to take breaks, get a coffee, go for a walk—do something for themselves—because, as she puts it, “you can’t pour from an empty cup.”
🏅Guinness World Record
Mollie Keen shared that Nash Keen is now officially recognized by Guinness World Records as the most premature baby to survive. She explained that her friend, who had been advocating for her from the very beginning, discovered the previous record holder—Curtis Means—who was also born on July 5th, just five years earlier at 21 weeks and 1 day.
Because Nash was born at 21 weeks and 0 days, they knew early on that he could potentially become the new record holder. Later, Dr. Bell from University of Iowa Stead Family Children’s Hospital stopped by Nash’s room and told them this was possible if they were interested, and helped them begin the process.
Mollie said she wasn’t prepared for what came next—once the announcement was made, it went viral. Her social media feeds were flooded with messages, tags, and interview requests. While the attention was overwhelming, she said it was worth it because she wanted other parents to hear their story and know that this is possible.
Closing
Thank you so much to Mollie Keen for joining me—and most importantly, for being so vulnerable and trusting us with your family’s story.
It takes incredible courage to revisit the moments of fear, uncertainty, heartbreak, and trauma—and to share them so openly—so that other families walking this path can feel less alone, and be reminded that they can fight for their baby’s chance to survive, and most importantly, hold onto hope and belief, which are so essential in the NICU.
Your strength and unwavering love for Nash Keen shine through every word, and your willingness to share his extraordinary journey is such a profound gift to this community. Your story reminds us all that behind every monitor, every alarm, and every statistic is a tiny human fighting with everything they have—and parents who are fighting right alongside them.
And this story is not over.
In the next episode, I’ll be joined by two of the incredible neonatologists from University of Iowa Stead Family Children’s Hospital who cared for Nash. You will hear their perspective from his birth, initial resuscitation, and the care their team provided—including the specific principles their team consistently believes in and the approaches to care they consistently provide to give extremely premature infants like Nash a fighting chance.
It’s a story born from hope, fueled by love, carried by resilience, and made possible by the belief and consistent care that give even the smallest fighters a chance. You will not want to miss it—and you must hear the amazing things they are doing to change what’s possible for our tiniest babies.
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