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Introduction For our 32nd podcast episode, we reviewed hyperbilirubinemia and …

Nicole Nyberg

Empowering NICU Parents
-NICU Mom & NNP
-Podcast Host, Public Speaker
-Educate & Empower NICU parents & clinicians empoweringnicuparents@yahoo.com

This podcase episode is different.

I had the honor of stepping into the guest seat on the NICU Today Podcast with Martha Sharkey, and what began as a conversation about my journey into nursing and the NICU gradually unfolded into something much more personal.

We talked about how I found my way into neonatology, and how I naively once believed I truly understood most things about the NICU so clearly. But after William was born extremely premature, and I walked back into the unit where I worked… but as his Mom.

Scared. Vulnerable. Uncertain. Protective in a way I had never understood before.

Seeing everything through an entirely different lens.

In this episode, I share what it was like to hold both roles — provider and parent — and how that experience reshaped me personally and professionally. We talk about family involvement, skin-to-skin care, education, advocacy, and why parental presence is not optional in the NICU. It matters. For babies. And for parents.

If you are a parent, I hope this episode reminds you that your presence, your voice, and your advocacy belong right alongside your baby.

If you are a clinician, I hope it offers perspective from the other side of the isolette.

This conversation is the heart 💙 and The Why Behind Empowering NICU Parents.

Sometimes the tiniest, most unexpected humans can become our greatest teachers and heroes.

🎧 Listen wherever you get your podcasts. Link in bio.

#nicuparents #nicujourney #nicuawareness #nicumom #nicunurse

The NICU experience doesn’t just affect the baby — it impacts parents, relationships, and family life long after discharge.
�I’m inviting NICU parents to share their perspective through a short, optional survey. Some responses may help shape an upcoming podcast episode, and some parents may be invited to join the conversation.
�Comment NICU and I’ll send you the survey. 💜

#NICUParents #nicumom #nicudad #nicubaby #nicugraduate

The NICU experience doesn’t just affect the baby — it impacts parents, relationships, and family life long after discharge.
 I’m inviting NICU parents to share their perspective through a short, optional survey. Some responses may help shape an upcoming podcast episode, and some parents may be invited to join the conversation.
 Comment NICU and I’ll send you the survey. 💜

#NICUParents #nicumom #nicudad #nicubaby #nicugraduate

An unexpected delivery at 23 weeks turned Martha and Paul Sharkey into NICU parents overnight when their identical twin daughters were born far too soon. What followed was a journey through extreme prematurity, loss, and the kind of uncertainty that changes a family forever.

In our most recent episode, Martha shares her family’s story — from navigating the NICU and grieving the loss of her daughter Mary, to building Today Is a Good Day, a nonprofit created to support NICU families and ensure that not one single parent walks alone.

She also shares key takeaways from their NICU journey and from building a nonprofit, making this episode especially meaningful for NICU parents and for anyone who feels called to turn lived experience into purpose.

This conversation is honest, emotional, and full of perspective — whether you’re in the NICU now, have endured a loss, are raising a NICU graduate, or simply need to hear a story of hope and resilience.

🎧 Listen now on the Empowering NICU Parents Podcast 🔗 Link in bio

#nicuparents #micropreemie #twinparents #empoweringnicuparents #nicujourney

❄️ This little snowbunny is ready for the snowstorm… who else is? ☃️💙

Would you rather: ❄️ or ☀️?

#nicubaby #nicuparents #snowapocalypse #snowstorm2026 #bringonthesnow

Happy New Year.

For some, the new year arrives with excitement. For others, it arrives quietly — with uncertainty, exhaustion, or hope that’s still finding its footing.

Wherever you are today, know this: Hope continues.
 And if that’s all you can hold onto right now… Keep going.

One step. One breath. One day at a time. 🤍

#HappyNewYear #HopeContinues #KeepGoing #OneDayAtATime #HoldingSpace #QuietStrength #GentleBeginnings #newyear2026 #hopeandstrength #nicuparents #nicunurse #nnp #neonatologist #nicubaby #nicutherapist

If you are spending Christmas in the NICU with your baby, it’s likely not what you imagined for this season. It’s completely understandable if this time feels heavy.

Today, we hold space for you and recognize how hard it is to feel torn between being with your baby and being pulled toward other family and friends on a holiday. You are seen. You are not alone.

We are holding you and your baby close in our thoughts this holiday. 🤍

#NICU #NICUParent #NICUStrong #HolidayInTheNICU #NICULife #NICUSupport #ChristmasInTheNICU #FamilyCenteredCare #nicubaby #christmastime #nicumama #nicunurse

November is Prematurity Awareness Month—a month that holds deep meaning for so many of us.
 A preterm baby’s journey doesn’t end at discharge—it continues to be shaped through childhood, adolescence, and well into adulthood. And it shapes parents, too.

Our babies face challenges we could have never prepared for. And we, as parents, find a strength within ourselves we never imagined— because our babies needed us to.

I’m resharing one of the most difficult, yet most meaningful episodes I’ve ever created—one that explores the lifelong impact of prematurity on children and the emotional toll the NICU can have on parents.

My intention is not to cause fear, but to instill empowerment.

Because informed parents become powerful advocates—and that is exactly what our children need and deserve.

If you are a NICU parent, hold this close: You are not alone. Your reactions are normal. Your feelings are valid. And you’ve got this—at every stage of your child’s journey, even when it feels incredibly difficult.

Knowledge is power, and transparency is essential.

💜 For the full episode, head to the link in my bio. Let’s continue raising awareness, honoring these incredible children, and supporting the families who walk this path every single day, beyond the NICU as well.

#PrematurityAwarenessMonth #PrematurityAwareness #NICU #NICUParents #NICUMoms #NICUDads
#PreemieStrong #PreemiePower #PreemieJourney #NICULife #NICUAwareness #MicroPreemie #PreemieSupport
#NICUAdvocate #FamilyCenteredCare #ParentEmpowerment #TraumaInformedCare #NeonatalCare #NICUNurse
#EmpoweringNICUParents #AngelEyeHealth #PrematureBirthAwareness #NICUStrong

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

Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia in Infants: A Review of Predisposing Factors, Preventative Measures, and Treatments

Skin Care: Clinical Guidelines for the NICU

Benefits of Kangaroo Care for the infant and the parents

Why are Term and Preterm Infants at an Increased Risk for Skin Injury?

Elevated Bilirubin Levels in Infants: Screening and Management

Elevated Bilirubin Levels in Infants: Why Does it Occur?

Trauma-Informed Care in the NICU with Mary Coughlin

The Positive Effects of Kangaroo Care: A Literature Review

Life Beyond HIE: A Mother’s Journey of Growth and Giving Back

Parental Stress and Trauma in the NICU

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Nicole Nyberg

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