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Introduction In our 15th podcast episode, we continue our discussion …

Nicole Nyberg

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

NICU Moms, I’d love to hear from you! In honor of Breastfeeding Awareness Month, I want to hear about your experience. Every NICU breastfeeding journey looks different, and sometimes the things we learn along the way are the things we wish we had known from the very beginning.

Looking back on your breastfeeding journey, what is ONE thing you wish you had known from the very beginning?

A baby born at 28 weeks who went on to exclusively breastfeed after leaving the NICU... 💛

How did they get there?

For Liz and Lucy, it started long before the first successful feeding at the breast—with early education, learning Lucy’s cues, positive feeding experiences, and a NICU culture that empowered Liz to be an active part of her baby’s care.

In honor of Breastfeeding Awareness Month, we’re resharing one of our most recent podcast episodes and a story that beautifully shows what can be possible when NICU parents are intentionally educated, supported, and empowered from the very beginning of their baby’s NICU journey.

🎧 More Than Feeding: How the Infant-Driven Feeding® Program Empowers NICU Parents
Hear Liz’s story and learn from Lisa Kleinz of Dr. Brown’s Medical about the Infant-Driven Feeding® (IDF®) Program and the growing evidence supporting its impact on babies and families.

Because sometimes the path to breastfeeding begins long before a baby ever feeds at the breast. 💛

#BreastfeedingAwarenessMonth #NICUParents #Breastfeeding #empoweringnicuparents #familycenteredcare

💛 Today is William’s due date. 💛

It still seems surreal when I really stop and think about it—how much time actually passes between his birthday and his due date. And even this year, seeing how much he has grown physically, mentally, and emotionally in just the last 16½ weeks puts into perspective just how much time that really is.

There is something about his due date that still makes me stop and reflect. Maybe because it reminds me just how early he really was. By the time we reached the day we had once circled on the calendar as an estimate of when we might finally meet him, he had already lived an entire 16½ weeks. He had spent 91 days in the NICU, several weeks at home, and had already overcome more than most of us will ever know. And had quite a personality that we already knew really well.

Twelve years later, this date means something very different.

It reminds me that a date, a gestational age, a birth weight, a diagnosis, or even the way your story begins does not define who you are or who you will become.

William’s beginning will always be part of his story, but what stands out to me now is the way he continues to take on life.

He is resilient. Determined. Kind. Strong-willed. Curious. And he never takes things at face value. He works through things that are hard. He keeps going. And in so many ways, those qualities have been part of him from the very beginning.

Maybe that is what this date reminds me of most.

We don’t get to choose how our story begins. But our beginning does not define us. It is how we continue to grow, persevere, and take on life that shapes so much of who we become.

Happy due date, William. 💛
 I am so proud of who you are and the way you continue to write your story.

#nicuparents #nicumom #micropreemie #23weeker #nicujourney

August is National Breastfeeding Awareness Month—a time to recognize the importance of human milk and the support families need to reach their feeding goals. 💛

For NICU families, that journey often looks very different than expected.

Your baby may not be ready to feed at the breast right away, but that doesn’t mean your breastfeeding journey has to wait. Expressing milk early and often, providing colostrum for oral care, spending time skin-to-skin, and beginning to learn your baby’s individual cues are all meaningful ways you can participate and begin building the foundation for what comes next.

A different beginning doesn’t mean breastfeeding isn’t possible.

For premature and medically fragile infants, human milk can be especially valuable. Early and consistent lactation support can help parents establish and maintain their milk supply while their baby grows and develops the skills and readiness needed for feeding.

And remember, your feeding goals matter. Talk with your NICU and lactation team about those goals and how they can support you. Ask about opportunities for skin-to-skin care, colostrum oral care, learning your baby’s cues, and creating positive feeding experiences as your baby develops.

Feeding is about more than nutrition. These early experiences can also provide opportunities to connect with your baby, participate in their care, build confidence, and begin learning how to respond to what your baby is telling you.

This year’s theme, RISE: Resilience, Interdependence, Self-Determination, Empowerment, feels especially meaningful for NICU families.

The NICU may change how your feeding journey begins, but it doesn’t have to take that journey away.

Every step builds confidence, connection, and possibility. 💛

The journey is still unfolding…

#BreastfeedingAwarenessMonth #NICUParents #NICUFamilies #familycenteredcare #breastfeedingawareness

Twelve years ago today, we carried our son out of the NICU after 91 long days.

If you’re in the NICU today, I know how impossible the days can feel. Time moves differently there. Every hour feels heavy, every milestone feels hard-earned, and home can seem so very far away.

But one day, you’ll look back and realize those endless days became part of a much bigger story.

Not because the NICU disappears—it doesn’t. It becomes part of who you are. But life grows around it. Joy returns. New memories are made. Birthdays are celebrated. First days of school, swim meets, family vacations, ordinary Tuesday nights… they begin to outnumber the NICU days.

Today, our tiny 23-week baby is 12 years old. Watching him grow has reminded me that while the NICU may shape your story, it does not have to define the rest of it.

So if you’re still counting episodes, grams, or days until discharge, keep holding on.

Hope isn’t pretending today isn’t hard.
Hope is believing tomorrow can be different.

We’re believing that with you. 🤍

#EmpoweringNICUParents #nicugrad #NICUParents #NICUStrong #micropreemie

There are some podcast episodes I’m proud of.

Then there are the ones I wish every single NICU parent could hear.

This is one of them.

I don’t say that because it’s about feeding.

I say it because it’s about what happens when someone finally teaches parents to understand their baby.

Not guess. Not wonder. Actually understand them.

Former NICU mom Liz Barker shares how one nurse introduced her to a completely different way of understanding her daughter—and how an entire NICU team’s consistent approach changed her experience forever.

That education changed everything.

It gave her confidence.

It transformed her breastfeeding journey.

And years later...she still remembers exactly how it made her feel.

As I listened to Liz’s story, I couldn’t help but think, every NICU parent deserves to feel this empowered.

If you’ve ever wondered what true family-centered care looks like—or what’s possible when we intentionally educate and partner with parents from day one—this conversation is for you.

Joined by Lisa Kleinz, MA, SLP/L, CNT, Director of Education at Dr. Brown’s Medical, we explore the evidence behind the Infant-Driven Feeding® (IDF®) Program and why it’s transforming not only feeding outcomes, but the confidence, connection, and lifelong relationships between babies and their families.

🎧 I truly hope you’ll listen. Link in profile.

#NICUParent #InfantDrivenFeeding #DevelopmentalCare #FamilyCenteredCare #Breastfeeding

Happy 4th of July!!! 🎆

Thank you to the care team members who are working over the holiday weekend.

To all the NICU and pediatric families who are spending their holiday in the hospital…we are thinking of you. ❤️🤍💙

#4thofjuly🇺🇸🇺🇸 #america250 #independenceday #nicuparents #nicunurse

More Than Feeding: How the Infant-Driven Feeding® Program Empowers NICU Parents

The Presence Study Toolkit: Helping NICUs Translate Evidence into Practice

Beyond the NICU: How Small Moments Shape a Developing Brain

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

Optimizing Neurodevelopmental Outcomes in NICU Patients with Occupational Therapy – Part II

Optimizing Neurodevelopmental Outcomes in NICU Patients with Occupational Therapy

Standing Transfer for Kangaroo Care

Kangaroo Care in the NICU: How to address the barriers, assess for readiness, and transfer the infant safely

Kangaroo Care Log

Kangaroo Care in the NICU: How Does it Benefit the Infant and the Parents?

Supporting Maternal Mental Health in the NICU – Are We Doing Enough? Part II

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Nicole Nyberg

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