The NICU and Special Needs Family

Hello, in this episode you can learn how post traumatic stress disorder can show up in your life. There are many things that you may be experiencing that are due to your trauma. The more educated you are about your mental health the more equipped you become in managing your stressors, triggers, and emotions. If you have any questions you can contact me through these avenues. thenicufamily@gmail.com  https://amyjbar.wixsite.com/amyjbar/contact https://www.instagram.com/thenicufamily

This weeks episodes is all about fathers in honor of father's day. This week I sit down with my husband and have an honest conversation about what it means to be a NICU and Special Needs dad. We talk about how his dreams have changed, vulnerability, and the need for support. Join me as we take a look at a father's perspective in this special needs journey. To connect with my husband you can follow him on instagram @tricitymusic. Don't forget to subscribe and leave a review. To connect with me follow me on instagram @thenicufamily or you can go to my website https://amyjbar.wixsite.com/amyjbar/podcast.

This weeks episode focuses on anticipatory grief. Anticipatory grief carries many of the symptoms of regular grief- sadness, anger, isolation, forgetfulness, and depression. It's a difficult part of being a special needs parent but with support, coping skills, and your faith you can manage this and preserve the joy in your life. Take a listen to hear a raw, honest, vulnerable, and educational episode on Anticipatory grief. Don't forget to subscribe and leave a review! If you have any questions you can contact me at amyjbar.wixsite.com/amyjbar and send me a message or you can connect with me on Instagram by following @thenicufamily. Thank you for listening.

Hello everyone welcome back to the show. In today's episode I will be talking about disappointment and the loss of expectations. As a special needs parent disappointment is very common in our lives and I wanted to touch on a few subjects that go along with disappointment. I hope you enjoy this episode and you can always contact me on Instagram @nicufamily or you can go to my website amyjbar.wixsite.com/amyjbar.

This season we will go into mental health topics to help parents navigate their journey. This season we're starting things off with two poems, Welcome to Holland and Amsterdam International. These poems were written by two special needs mommas. Emily Perl Kingsley wrote Welcome to Holland in 1987 after having a child with Down syndrome. Dana Nieder from the blog Uncommon Sense wrote Amsterdam International. Dana's daughter is a little girl that is special needs. Follow the link to learn more about her journey. If you want to connect with me you can follow me on Instagram @thenicufamily or you can visit my website at https://amyjbar.wixsite.com/amyjbar/podcast.

We are back with the second part of our story. I apologize for the delay but its finally here! This week you can hear me along with my husband share the second part of baby Luke's story.This episode goes into depth of life in the NICU, receiving baby Luke's diagnosis, and navigating the first few weeks after the NICU. Baby Luke is our little fighter and has proven to be so strong.

This week we have a very special episode. This week you can hear me along with my husband share our story of baby Luke. My pregnancy with baby Luke was completely healthy with a completely healthy birth but just hours after he was born our lives changed forever. Luke was diagnosed with GBS which then turned into Meningitis. Throughout Lukes life he has struggled with infection, epilepsy, cerebral palsy, and extreme brain damage. Baby Luke is our little fighter and has proven to be so strong.

Today our guest is Teresa and she will tell us the story of Ailey Rose. A beautiful story of a premie that was given a less than 1% chance of survival. Despite all of the possible complications Teresa refused to terminate her pregnancy and gave her daughter a chance at life. Baby Ailey Rose was born at 9.5oz and her parents didn't know if she would ever walk or talk but Ailey Rose proved to be a fighter and has defeated all odds!

Today our guest is Diana and she will be telling us the story of Jonah. Jonah was born at 34 weeks due to intrauterine growth restriction and arterial fistula. Diana learned about the journey her and her family would have to endure at 23 weeks pregnant. From then on her pregnancy was full of uncertainty and fear and she developed preeclampsia and needed to be induced. Nevertheless Jonah proved everyone wrong and is now growing and thriving without any medical interventions!

Today our guest is Christina and she will be telling us the story of Charlotte, a full term NICU baby that was a miracle from the start. She coded for 10 min and needed to be resuscitated. The first week of her life the doctors had given up on her and thought she would not make it, but Charlotte proved them all wrong. This episode is also very informational for babies with heart issues, seizures and Christina is a perfect example of how to advocate for you child.

Today our guest is Jeanette and she will be telling us the story of Amaris. Amaris is a true miracle born at 27 weeks. Jeannette takes us through her pregnancy journey, birth, NICU stay, and the journey after NICU. With uterine growth restriction the doctor gave Amaris a low survival rate but Amaris defeated all the odds and is growing and thriving.

Welcome to The NICU Family Podcast. In this episode I share my vision by taking you through the process of why I decided to create this podcast, who it's aimed for, and what I hope you gain from this. I hope you stick around through this journey and find community. You can join in on the conversation @theNICUfamily through instagram where I would be happy to answer any and all questions.