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A podcast that highlights the importance of parental involvement in the NICU and how it can positively impact the infant’s short and long term outcomes.

@empoweringnicuparents

Nicole Nyberg

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

What happens in the NICU follows our children home.

There are hundreds of moments during a NICU stay— moments that feel routine… moments that feel small… and even moments where I didn’t like what I saw, but felt hesitant to speak up—as both a clinician and a parent in my own NICU.

And over time, I’ve seen how those moments have shown up in my son.

That’s the part we don’t always talk about.

In this episode, I share both the science and the lived experience behind how NICU care shapes brain development, behavior, and long-term outcomes—and more importantly, what we can do about it.

We also walk through tangible, practical ways to support neuroprotective, developmentally appropriate, family-centered care.

Because the goal isn’t just survival.

It’s how we help these children live beyond it.

Whether you are a NICU parent or a clinician—this one matters.

🎧 Link in bio

#nicuparents #nicunurse #nicupodcast #nicugrad #nicubaby

Happy Mother’s Day.

There are mothers to children they have given birth to.
 There are mothers who may not be considered biological, but cannot fathom life without their children in it.
 There are mothers who stepped into motherhood through marriage and love.
 There are mothers who never had the opportunity to meet their child because they left this world too soon.
 There are mothers who have had to bear the unimaginable and somehow learn to move forward without their child beside them anymore.
 There are mothers who dream of being mothers, but have not yet had that opportunity—or may never experience it in the way they once hoped.

Motherhood comes in so many different forms. It does not take pregnancy or birth to be a mother, but it does take a strong, resilient, compassionate, patient, and incredible woman. And I am blessed to know so many.

To the NICU mamas, the bereaved mamas, the waiting mamas, the foster and adoptive mamas, the bonus mamas, and the women carrying a mother’s love in their hearts in ways the world may never fully see—you are seen, you are valued, and you are fiercely loved. 🤍

#mothersday #motherslove❤️ #mothersheart #nicumom #bereavedmother

Happy Nurses Week! The Power of Nurses!

There are certain stories, moments, and people in nursing that stay with you forever.

Over the years, I have cared for patients whose stories I still carry with me today — from the tiniest of patients to adults. I have also been incredibly fortunate to learn from nurses whose voices, encouragement, and guidance helped shape me as both a nurse and a person.

And then there are the nurses who cared for my own son during his NICU journey. Their compassion, reassurance, knowledge, and presence during some of the hardest days of our lives will never be forgotten.

Nurses do far more than provide medical care. They advocate, comfort, educate, support, encourage, and show up for people during life’s most vulnerable moments.

I am simply grateful for the incredible nurses who have impacted my life, career, and family’s story in ways that words will never fully capture. Thank you!

Happy Nurses Week to all of the amazing nurses out there.

#nursesweek #thepowerofnurses #nicunurse #nurselife #nursesareawesome

April is HIE Awareness Month, and this year the @hopeforhie community’s theme is: Hold Onto Hope.

Today, we honor the incredible children and families whose lives have been impacted by HIE by featuring some of these incredibly brave little ones from the very beginning of their stories to where they are today.

You will see strength. Resilience. Joy. Courage. You will see children who continue to defy expectations in their own beautiful ways, and families who have walked beside them through every challenge, milestone, setback, and victory.

To every parent, sibling, grandparent, family member, and support system: we see you too. We honor your strength, your advocacy, your love, and the way you continue to show up for your child and family, even on the difficult days.

If your child has been diagnosed with HIE and you have not yet connected with Hope for HIE, we encourage you to do so. Their community and resources are truly incredible, and no family should have to walk this journey alone.

Please join us in celebrating these amazing children and the stories behind these photos. Share a heart, a word of encouragement, or simply help us remind these families that they are not alone.

If you would like to share your child’s story, please send us a DM. We would be honored to celebrate and honor them too.

#nicujourney #holdontohope #hopeforhie #hieawareness #nicuparents

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

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

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

The Positive Effects of Parental Engagement in the NICU

Supporting Infant Mental Health in the NICU

The Benefits of Reading to Your Baby in the NICU

Life After NICU With a Medically Complex Child: What is the Reality? Part II

Life After NICU With a Medically Complex Child: What is the Reality?

Questions Parents Should Ask Their Baby’s NICU Care Team Each Day

NICU Trauma – How Well Are You Coping?

Infant of Diabetic Mother: What are the potential complications and typical treatment plan?

Gestational Diabetes: From diagnosis in pregnancy to blood sugar management and its effect on the health of the mother and infant

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Nicole Nyberg

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