Podcasts about Nicu

On this episode of the Healthful Woman Podcast, Dr. Nathan Fox speaks with reproductive psychiatrist Dr. Esther "Esty" Rollhaus, who shares the first part of her personal fertility and birth journey: years of male-factor infertility and multiple IVF cycles during medical school and residency, culminating in a twin pregnancy. She recounts a harrowing delivery at 32-33 weeks complicated by an unrecognized preterm labor, an inability to breathe while pushing, and serious postpartum infections in both her and her newborn son, followed by a difficult seven-week NICU stay for both twins. The episode closes on a reflective note about the disconnect between the joy she expected as a new mother and the fear and emotional numbness she actually experienced.

A mid-July Vision Cast loaded with accessible-tech wins, live-on-Zoom family updates, and a second helping of the Summer Song and Dance Festival. Hosted by Salvis with Donald, George, Preston, Phil, and Veronica on the panel - plus pre-recorded drop-ins from JC (calling in from Puerto Rico) and Stacey James with a high-energy launch promo for her brand-new Crazy Stacey Radio Network. The centerpiece of the night is Donald's blind-coder AI breakthrough: he walks the crew through his journey using ChatGPT to write actual C# code for the Microsoft .NET 8 framework, building his own custom audio recorder and a fully working MP3 player he's calling "MP3 DJ." It's a live case study for the "AI is finally lowering the barrier for non-programmer blind creators" trend - landing the same week the industry is buzzing over the Suno AI source-code leak that pulls back the curtain on how much AI music is trained on scraped YouTube audio.The Summer Song and Dance Festival keeps rolling with pre-submitted covers from the crew: JC on "America the Beautiful" and The Rolling Stones' "I Can't Get No Satisfaction," Rita's fan-favorite "Como La Flor" and "La Bamba," Veronica delivering James Taylor's "Fire and Rain," and Preston closing it out with Toby Keith's "I Love This Bar."The instant-classic bit of the night is "Shower in the Dark." Veronica sets it up telling the story of a sighted friend who lost power and immediately worried about how she'd shower. Veronica's dry reply - "I don't have to see to take a shower" - sends the crew into fits, and Salvis coins the phrase "Shower in the Dark. That sounds like a great song or even story," calling it back later alongside the running pizza-on-a-black-Waymo joke.Phil is back on the panel after fighting a 4th of July flu and previews Sunday's grand final of the FIFA World Cup 2026 - Spain vs. Argentina - the biggest match of the summer as the tournament wraps up its US/Mexico/Canada hosting run. George brings the crackle in JC's absence, catching up with the crew about the wild-swinging summer weather, quality time with his girlfriend, a shout-out to his Portland friend Taylor, ongoing Mac and screen-reader compatibility challenges facing blind creators in 2026, and yes, a busted toenail on the way into the show. He also relays a family update on Phil's behalf: Phil's mother is home from the hospital after a bout of pneumonia and the crew keeps her in their prayers.Preston rounds it out with a new patio bistro set, a booked DJ gig at a local crab and karaoke bar, his transit-advocacy video for the CTAA hitting Facebook and Instagram, plus plans to catch the new Twisters movie. JC's pre-recorded tropical postcard from Puerto Rico teases coquí, salsa, and street food stories in a future episode, and Stacey's high-energy audio drop announces the launch of her brand-new independent Crazy Stacey Radio Network. Warm shout-outs to Phil's mom recovering, baby Noah still home safe post-NICU, and a nod to Katie's birthday callback from the previous week close the show.Keep technology alive, let your talent shine.Recorded 2026-07-15. Hosted by Salvis on the VisionCast Network.Final note:Bear is a tentative schedule for crazy Stacy‘s new radio edition now posted on the vision cast email list.

Avery is putting her nurse hat back on. In this solo episode, she pulls from her years as a PICU and NICU nurse and her own postpartum experience to give new and expecting moms the real talk nobody else will. She opens up about the night feeds that broke her, the guilt she carried as a working mom who couldn't afford the fancy stuff, and why social media is setting mothers up to feel like failures. Then she runs through her full list of baby and postpartum must-haves, the same one ICU doctors used to ask her for. Fed is best, sleep when the baby sleeps, and trust your gut. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Send us Fan MailHow far has delivery room ventilation really come? In this special episode, recorded in collaboration with the Neonatal Resuscitation Symposium, Ben sits down with Dr. Charles Roehr, professor of neonatology and perinatal medicine at the University of Bristol, clinical trialist at the University of Oxford, and member of ILCOR. Together they trace the evolution of respiratory support at birth, from the era of fixed inflation breaths to today's focus on physiologic stability and gentle cardiopulmonary transition. Dr. Roehr reflects on a quarter century of resuscitation science, the enduring challenge of human factors in the delivery room, and where the field may be heading, from better intrapartum monitoring to increasingly specialized resuscitation teams.Dr. Roehr will be delivering a keynote, "Optimizing Effective Ventilation Strategies in the Delivery Room," at the Neonatal Resuscitation Symposium, taking place September 10 to 11 at Indiana University in Indianapolis. Learn more and register here: https://medicine.iu.edu/pediatrics/specialties/neonatal-perinatal/education/resuscitation-symposium Support the showAs always, feel free to send us questions, comments, or suggestions to our email: nicupodcast@gmail.com. You can also contact the show through Instagram or Twitter, @nicupodcast. Or contact Ben and Daphna directly via their Twitter profiles: @drnicu and @doctordaphnamd. The papers discussed in today's episode are listed and timestamped on the webpage linked below.Enjoy!

Part 2 of the Attachment Wounds & Erotic Emotions SeriesMaybe you have a tendency to intellectualize or spiritualize your experience, but not always fully feel it. Or maybe you can only really arrive in your body when something intense is happening. This episode is about how that happens, how it shapes your erotic needs and the way you show up in intimacy, and what to do about it, if you choose. The safety wound is the earliest developmental wound we're covering in this series. It shows up in desires, in relationship, and in sex, plus in every day life where people with this wound have a tendency to dissociate. This episode is Part 2 in the Attachment Wounds and Erotic Emotions series — if you haven't listened to Episode 130 yet, start there first.What Is the Safety Wound? Origins and Early DevelopmentThe safety wound forms in the very first stage of life — from the womb through infancy, before language, and before verbal memory as we know it. The unmet need is fundamental: a sense that the world is safe to exist in, and that the body is a safe place to be.The causes can include traumatic birth, early separation from a birth mother through adoption or loss, time in a NICU, parental anxiety or depression, domestic chaos, overwhelming or unpredictable environments, or generational trauma. Often nothing was done consciously or intentionally. The body simply learned, very early, that being present was dangerous — and dissociation became the primary survival strategy.This pattern is recognized across multiple psychological traditions. In Hakomi, it's called the Sensitive-Withdrawn pattern. In the Neuroaffective Model (NATouch and NARM), it's the Connection survival style. In the Somatica Institute® framework, it's the UnSAFE wound. Different names, same consistently observed pattern — and none of them mean anything is wrong with you. This is just a coping style, and it carries some challenges that can be worked with.We'll also cover here:What the Safety Wound Feels Like: Dissociation, Floating, and Empathy OverloadHow the Safety Wound Shapes Erotic DesiresThe Safety Wound in Intimate Relationships and SexHealing the Safety Wound: Coming Back to Your BodyIn this episode:What the safety wound is, where it comes from, and why it forms so early — before language, before memoryWhy dissociation here is a brilliant survival adaptation, not a pathology — and how I recognized it in my own experienceHow this wound is named across Hakomi, NARM, and the Somatica Institute® framework — and why the older Freudian label is worth leaving behindWhat the safety wound feels like from the inside: the floating quality, the empathy overload, the pull toward intellectualizing and spiritual bypassing — and the deep current of pain, fear, or rage that often lives underneathHow the safety wound shapes erotic desire through two pathways: resolution (craving calm, merged, held, contained, seen) and repetition with agency (craving intensity, edge, risk, primal)Why craving dangerous or intense experiences in a chosen context makes complete sense for this wound — and why felt safety is still the prerequisite, even for the edgy stuffWhat the safety wound looks like in relationships: the connection that arrives and quietly disappears, and what partners tend to experience in bedWhat healing looks like for this wound — embodiment first — and why somatic work is more relevant here than therapy or spirituality aloneCompanion resource for this series: The Wheel of Erotic Emotions → laurajurgens.com/wheelTopics: safety wound, attachment wound, dissociation and intimacy, dissociation and desire, not in your body during sex, childhood trauma and sexuality, somatic sex coach, somatic intimacy coach, intimacy coach, erotic emotions, erotic desires, attachment and desire, childhood wounds relationships, sensitive withdrawn attachment, connection survival style, attachment, healing dissociation, embodiment and desire, feminist sex coachGet my free guide: Get Out of Your Head: A Starter Guide to Releasing the Pressure, Shame, and "Shoulds" Around Intimacy at https://laurajurgens.com/guideMore links: Substack at https://laurajurgens.substack.com/Pleasure Path Diagnostic here: https://laurajurgens.com/diagnostic/About me, testimonials, blog, bookings: https://laurajurgens.com/Wheel of Erotic emotions, go to: https://laurajurgens.com/wheelCopyright notice: All content in this podcast is copyrighted and copying, scraping, data mining, or using the content to train AI is prohibited. 

Send us Fan MailWhich PDAs actually need treatment? Can maternal voice and scent shape language outcomes? Should we cool at 35 weeks? And did stepping away from probiotics come at a cost? This week's Journal Club takes on five papers that push back on standard practice. Ben reviews the SMART-PDA trial and a comparative study of PDA pharmacotherapy, Daphna covers the MIND trial on multisensory maternal interventions and a Pediatrix database study on NEC after the FDA probiotic warning, and Ben rounds out the main segment with a national look at hypothermia in 35-week infants with HIE. Ben and Eli wrap the week with Neo News on rising vitamin K refusal.Support the showAs always, feel free to send us questions, comments, or suggestions to our email: nicupodcast@gmail.com. You can also contact the show through Instagram or Twitter, @nicupodcast. Or contact Ben and Daphna directly via their Twitter profiles: @drnicu and @doctordaphnamd. The papers discussed in today's episode are listed and timestamped on the webpage linked below.Enjoy!

Adam's about to be Coweta's biggest celebrity. Porter and Prairie Farm's SEO game has worked so well that a Tulsa news station called wanting an interview about egg prices and how they're crushing family farms. Problem is, Adam has no idea what egg prices are doing anywhere else. He just knows what he charges, and that they've lost 35 chickens in two weeks. Lady Haylee, in her prudence, said maybe skip the interview. Adam already said yes. The real debate of the week: overalls or no overalls for the camera. Overalls, obviously. Carhartt, not blue jean, collared shirt underneath. Now both guys want branded farm overalls, Niles Ranch and Fecundity Farm for Dave, Porter and Prairie Family Farm for Adam.Sponsor: Amen app (from the Augustine Institute) The Amen app is the free Catholic prayer app the guys use to walk through the Sunday Gospel with their kids on the way to Mass, plus free access to classics like Divine Mercy in My Soul and True Devotion to Mary. No paywall, no subscription trap. Download the Amen app right now.Sponsor: Select International Tours When Adam and Dave planned their first pilgrimage, Select International Tours is who everyone pointed them to, and having used them, the guys can vouch for it. Wherever you want to go, head to selectinternationaltours.com and see what they offer.Dave's week wasn't any calmer. He harvested and shucked 500 to 700 ears of corn with the whole family, then blanched all of it late into the night while Lady Pamela held down a house full of unexpected company. His exact line on the way out the door: "I gotta go drink with my buddy for Jesus. It's a ministry, babe." Piglets are due any day, and this time he's praying they're born alive.The pour is a revisit: Salterra 14-Year Single Malt Scotch, finished in an Oloroso barrel, 48% ABV. Warm, not hot. Worth going back to.The prayer request is Mary. She's got an eye procedure Thursday, lasers, to make sure her retina stays attached so she doesn't go blind. She needs to put on weight first. Some days she gains 70 grams, some days she loses it. Thank you for praying. Keep it up.Then the real topic: what actually happens to your soul between the moment you die and the resurrection of your body. Can fire really burn something with no body to burn? Pulling from Aquinas's Summa, the guys walk through it. Your body dies, your soul doesn't, and it faces judgment immediately, heaven, hell, or purgatory on the way to heaven. The senses go dark since they run through bodily organs, but the intellect and the will, the parts that never needed a body to operate, stay fully awake. Aquinas's answer to the fire question: it doesn't burn the soul like a stove burns wood. It binds it. In sin, you subjected your higher self to a lower appetite, so in justice, a lower thing, fire, now holds your higher self captive. It's God's instrument, not chemistry.Then the bonus round: limbo. The limbo of the fathers, emptied by Christ at the Harrowing of Hell. The limbo of infants, never defined as dogma, still debated, and Dave's new coinage for where he thinks it actually belongs: limburgatory. A place with no suffering doesn't belong bolted onto hell.Protect what you love. Provide the truth even when it costs you something. Establish your kids in what's actually at stake. Raise your glass.TOPICS COVEREDPorter and Prairie Farm's SEO play working so well a Tulsa news station wants an egg price interviewLosing 35 chickens in two weeks and having zero idea what egg prices are doing anywhere elseThe overalls debate: Carhartt over blue jean, collared shirt, and the case for branded farm overallsThe economics of homesteading: it only "pays for itself" if you value your own labor at zeroDave shucking and blanching 500 to 700 ears of corn with the whole family in one night"I gotta go drink with my buddy for Jesus, it's a ministry, babe"Piglets due any day and praying for a better outcome than last timeBourbon of the week: revisiting Salterra 14-Year Single Malt Scotch, Oloroso barrel finish, 48% ABVPrayer update on baby Mary: a Thursday laser eye procedure to protect her retina, and the fight to gain weightWhat actually happens to the soul between death and the resurrection of the bodyMatthew 25:41 and what "everlasting fire" could mean for a devil who has no body to burnThe difference between your particular judgment at death and the general judgment at the end of timeWhy death is genuinely abhorrent: the violent separation of body and soul, not just leaving earthAquinas on why the intellect and will stay fully awake after death even though the senses go darkSt. Gregory versus Aquinas on whether merely seeing hellfire is itself the punishmentAquinas's actual argument: fire doesn't cook the soul, it binds it, as an instrument of divine justiceWhy the fires of hell and purgatory are, per Aquinas, the very same fireThe three conditions required for mortal sin, and why hell is always a freely chosen destinationThe limbo of the fathers, the bosom of Abraham, and Christ emptying it at the Harrowing of HellThe limbo of infants, the 2007 theological commission document, and why it was never defined as dogmaBaptism of desire and the "intent of an intent" question for unbaptized infantsDave's case for "limburgatory" against Dante's placement of limbo as an annex of hellWhy presuming on God's mercy is itself a sin, and how that shapes the whole limbo debateREFERENCED IN THIS EPISODEBooks & Writings:Summa Theologiae, Supplement, Questions 69 and 70, by St. Thomas Aquinas (compiled by his students after his death)The Divine Comedy by Dante Alighieri (limbo placed as an annex of hell)Diary: Divine Mercy in My Soul by St. Maria Faustina Kowalska (free on the Amen app)True Devotion to Mary by St. Louis de Montfort (free on the Amen app)Catechism of the Catholic Church, paragraph 1261 (hope for children who die without baptism)The Hope of Salvation for Infants Who Die Without Being Baptized, International Theological Commission, 2007 (approved by Pope Benedict XVI)Saints & Church Figures:St. Thomas AquinasSt. Gregory (the Great)St. AugustineSt. Francis de SalesSt. Maria Faustina KowalskaSt. Louis de MontfortPope Benedict XVIDr. Peter Kreeft (referenced via the Matt Fradd interview clip, and the recent death of his wife of 63 years)People:Adam Minihan (host; Porter and Prairie Family Farm, Lady Haylee, baby Mary's NICU and eye procedure update, M6 Marketing, The Grounded Builder on Substack)Dave Niles (host; Fecundity Farm, Niles Ranch, Lady Pamela, the corn harvest, coiner of "limburgatory")Lady Haylee (Adam's wife)Lady Pamela (Dave's wife)Matt Fradd (interviewer in the referenced Peter Kreeft clip)

Send us Fan MailVitamin K refusal has crossed 5%. That's one in twenty babies, and the curve is bending the wrong way. Ben and Eli work through a new Pediatrics case review that opens with a warning shot, that hemorrhagic presentation in an infant should no longer be a diagnostic mystery, alongside a JAMA letter tracking refusal from 2.9% in 2017 to 5.2% in 2024. Eighty-one times the risk. Intracranial hemorrhage in most late-onset cases. Twenty percent mortality. They talk about the halo effect on other refusals, the ICD code you should be using, and why this conversation belongs in the obstetrics office, not the nursery.----Vitamin K Deficiency Bleeding After Refusal: A Sentinel Event in a Misinformation Era. Jacobs JW, Booth GS, Wheeler AP, Adkins BD.Pediatrics. 2026 May 1;157(5):e2026075994. doi: 10.1542/peds.2026-075994.PMID: 41916583 No abstract available.Trends in Vitamin K Administration Among Infants. Scott K, Miller E, Culhane JF, Greenspan J, Handley SC, Lo JY, Knake LA, McKenney KM, Burris HH, Dysart K.JAMA. 2026 Jan 20;335(3):272-274. doi: 10.1001/jama.2025.21460.PMID: 41359326 Free PMC article.Babies Are Bleeding to Death as Parents Reject a Vitamin Shot Given at Birth https://www.propublica.org/article/more-parents-decline-vitamin-k-shot-newbornsSupport the showAs always, feel free to send us questions, comments, or suggestions to our email: nicupodcast@gmail.com. You can also contact the show through Instagram or Twitter, @nicupodcast. Or contact Ben and Daphna directly via their Twitter profiles: @drnicu and @doctordaphnamd. The papers discussed in today's episode are listed and timestamped on the webpage linked below.Enjoy!

Send us Fan MailWhen the FDA warning landed in late 2023, probiotic use in high-use NICUs collapsed from 86% to under 7% almost overnight. What happened to NEC? This week Daphna brings Tolia and Patel's new Journal of Perinatology analysis of the Pediatrix Clinical Data Warehouse, a natural experiment across 347 NICUs and more than 10,000 extremely preterm infants. Centers that stopped saw NEC climb from 2.7% to 4.4%. Centers that never used probiotics saw nothing change. Ben and Daphna work through the difference-in-differences model, the demographic imbalances, and the uncomfortable question underneath it all. When does data stop and advocacy begin?----Probiotics and necrotizing enterocolitis in preterm infants after the food and drug administration warning actions. Tolia VN, Bennett MM, Handler D, Canvasser J, Greenberg RG, Ursprung R, Ahmad KA, Patel RM.J Perinatol. 2026 Jun 2. doi: 10.1038/s41372-026-02712-y. Online ahead of print.PMID: 42225922Support the showAs always, feel free to send us questions, comments, or suggestions to our email: nicupodcast@gmail.com. You can also contact the show through Instagram or Twitter, @nicupodcast. Or contact Ben and Daphna directly via their Twitter profiles: @drnicu and @doctordaphnamd. The papers discussed in today's episode are listed and timestamped on the webpage linked below.Enjoy!

Type of loss: Infant lossMore about this story: In this episode, we talk with Olivia Hodge about the story of her daughter, Camila.Olivia's journey into motherhood began with a traumatic pregnancy after experiencing PPROM at 23.5 weeks. Following weeks of hospitalization and strict bed rest, she and her husband, Armondo, welcomed Camila at 34 weeks. After spending 22 days in the NICU, Camila came home and thrived.Olivia shares what it was like to care for Camila while Armondo was deployed, the joy of watching her daughter grow, and the memories they built together as a family.In September 2025, everything changed. After a sudden medical emergency at daycare, Camila was rushed to the hospital and placed on life support. Olivia and Armondo were faced with the devastating reality that Camila had no signs of brain activity and said goodbye to their daughter while holding her in their arms.More about Emma's Footprints:www.EmmasFootprints.com

One in 500 000 pregnancies happens without fertility treatment and results in quads. Sam Smith is living that statistic right now, 23 weeks pregnant with four babies she never expected. On this week's episode of Sense by Meg Faure we sit down with Sam Smith, who is 23 weeks into a spontaneous quad pregnancy, alongside returning guest Tasha, our resident multiples nurse. Sam and her partner Jan already have a toddler son, Teddy. They were hoping for one more baby. Instead, an eight week scan revealed four. Sam walks us through that first scan in detail. She describes watching her doctor's expression change as he kept counting. Twins became triplets. Triplets became quads. There was no IVF involved. Sam's honesty about the first trimester, the sleepless nights after the diagnosis, and the sheer physical discomfort of carrying four babies makes this one of the most human conversations we've had on the podcast. If you've ever wondered what a spontaneous quad pregnancy actually looks like day to day, this episode answers it. IN THIS EPISODE YOU'LL LEARN How a routine eight week scan turned into a quad diagnosis, and what that moment felt like for Sam and her partner Jan. The difference between monochorionic (shared placenta) and dichorionic twins, and why it matters for risk. What twin to twin transfusion is and why the 24 week mark is a milestone in multiples pregnancies. How delivery planning works for quads, including hospital selection by gestational week and NICU team size. Practical breastfeeding strategies for multiples: pumping, donor milk, tandem feeding, and combination feeding. Why "getting help" isn't a compromise, it's the plan, according to multiples nurse Tasha. ABOUT THE GUEST Sam Smith is currently 23 weeks into a spontaneous quad pregnancy, expecting four babies with no fertility treatment involved. She lives in Cape Town with her partner Jan and their toddler son, Teddy. Sam is sharing her pregnancy in real time, from the shock of the diagnosis through to preparing for delivery and life with five children under three. Follow Sam's journey on Instagram: @SamSmithofCapeTown ABOUT THE SENSE BY MEG PODCASTSense by Meg is a weekly podcast for parents who want evidence-based, compassionate guidance. Hosted by OT, author and parenting expert Meg Faure, each episode brings together expert insight and real-world experience to help parents feel informed and supported. The podcast is proudly associated with Parent Sense, the all-in-one parenting app for routines, sleep, nutrition and expert advice.Parent Sense App: Your all-in-one baby care app for routines, nutrition and expert advice.FOLLOW USMeg FaureInstagramLinkedInWebsiteParent SenseInstagramLinkedInWebsite

Send us Fan MailCooling works at 36 weeks. At 35 weeks, nobody is sure. Ben brings a new Journal of Perinatology analysis of the National Inpatient Sample, covering 1.4 million infants from 2016 to 2022, asking what happens when therapeutic hypothermia is offered just below the evidence line. Cooled 35-weekers died at higher rates than cooled 36-weekers, but within the 35-week group, cooling changed nothing either way. Coagulopathy rose with cooling. Mediation analysis says it wasn't the cause. Ben and Daphna work through what that leaves us, and why shared decision making and careful documentation carry the weight here----Therapeutic hypothermia and in-hospital mortality in 35-week infants with encephalopathy. Aly H, Eltaly H, Mohamed FA, Saker F, Acun C, Mohamed MA.J Perinatol. 2026 Jun 3. doi: 10.1038/s41372-026-02738-2. Online ahead of print.PMID: 42236997Support the showAs always, feel free to send us questions, comments, or suggestions to our email: nicupodcast@gmail.com. You can also contact the show through Instagram or Twitter, @nicupodcast. Or contact Ben and Daphna directly via their Twitter profiles: @drnicu and @doctordaphnamd. The papers discussed in today's episode are listed and timestamped on the webpage linked below.Enjoy!

In this week's episode, Ashley and Aisha are joined by Dear NICU Mama Board Member Nicole as she shares the story of her daughter, Layla.After a year and a half of trying to conceive, Nicole became pregnant with Layla and was carefully monitored due to a congenital heart condition. At 32 weeks, severe preeclampsia changed everything, leading to a life threatening medical helicopter transfer from Fargo to Minneapolis and the delivery of Layla at 33 weeks. Together, they spent 46 days in the NICU.Nicole vulnerably shares the moments that often go unspoken during the NICU journey: the fear of holding her baby for the first time, the guilt of desperately wanting to go home, the loneliness of long NICU days, and the comfort she found in the community that surrounded her. Her story is a beautiful reminder that healing doesn't come from having all the answers, but from being seen, understood, and supported along the way.We hope this episode reminds you that no matter where you are in your NICU journey, you are not alone. There is hope in tomorrow, and there is a community of NICU mamas walking beside you every step of the way!To get connected with DNM:Website | Private Facebook Group | InstagramSupport the show

July is National Bereaved Parents Awareness Month. Twice a week, we are re-releasing past podcast episodes honoring a variety of families and circumstances in their grief. Trigger warning: this episode centers on infant loss and grief. In this episode, neonatologist Dr. Terri Major-Kincade shares the role of palliative care in the NICU and how families can navigate difficult or life-limiting diagnoses. She discusses the language healthcare providers use when communicating with parents, the importance of compassionate decision-making, and key questions families can ask their medical team when facing uncertain outcomes. This thoughtful conversation offers guidance, clarity, and support for parents seeking to make informed choices while honoring their baby's life and legacy.   

This week we learn how a non-doctor doctor named Martin Couney leveraged the crowds at Coney Island's fascination with freak shows into giving birth to the modern NICU. A listener voicemail combines everyone's love of cats with planes.Episode Tabs:Preemies on Parade: How a Fake Doctor's Coney Island Incubator Shows Ended Up Saving Thousands of Liveshttps://www.mentalfloss.com/science/medicine/martin-couney-baby-incubator-showsListener Tabs:Profile of Matatabi-kunhttp://www.tcat-hakozaki.co.jp/en/company/matatabi.htmlEmail your closed tab submissions to: 500opentabs@gmail.comSupport us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/500OpenTabs500 Open Tabs Wiki: https://500-open-tabs.fandom.com/wiki/500_Open_Tabs_Wiki500 Open Roads (Google Maps episode guide): https://maps.app.goo.gl/Tg9g2HcUaFAzXGbw7Continue the conversation by joining us on Discord! https://discord.gg/8px5RJHk7aGet 40% off an annual subscription to Nebula by going to nebula.tv/500opentabsSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Send us Fan MailIn this Journal Club, Daphna takes the reins with the MIND randomized controlled trial from Nathalie Maitre and colleagues in The Journal of Pediatrics. Can a multisensory bundle, combining infant-directed voice, a parent's scent, holding, and gentle containment, do more for a preterm baby's developing brain than recorded voice alone? Using event-related potentials to track how infants tell speech sounds apart, the team followed language outcomes all the way to age two. Daphna and Ben unpack the design, the Bayley and PLS-5 findings, and a takeaway every clinician can act on tomorrow. Talk to the baby, every single time.----The MIND Randomized Controlled Trial: An Intervention to Improve Neural Speech Processing and 2-Year Language Outcomes of Infants Born Preterm. Maitre NL, Kjeldsen CP, Jeanvoine A, Lukemire J, Slaughter JL, Key AP.J Pediatr. 2026 Jun 5:115187. doi: 10.1016/j.jpeds.2026.115187. Online ahead of print.PMID: 42250747Support the showAs always, feel free to send us questions, comments, or suggestions to our email: nicupodcast@gmail.com. You can also contact the show through Instagram or Twitter, @nicupodcast. Or contact Ben and Daphna directly via their Twitter profiles: @drnicu and @doctordaphnamd. The papers discussed in today's episode are listed and timestamped on the webpage linked below.Enjoy!

This week's episode is a solo conversation about one of the most complicated parts of healing after birth trauma: anniversaries.Whether it's your baby's birthday, the day you were admitted to the hospital, your NICU discharge, or another date tied to your experience, trauma anniversaries can bring up overwhelming emotions, even years later. Kayleigh shares why these reactions are so common, what is actually happening in the nervous system, and practical ways to care for yourself as these significant dates approach.If you've ever wondered why your baby's birthday feels both joyful and heartbreaking, or felt guilty for dreading a day that's "supposed" to be celebrated, this episode is a reminder that you're not broken, and you're certainly not alone.In This Episode, We Discuss:

Send us Fan MailIn this Journal Club, Ben and Daphna dig into two new papers on PDA management in our smallest patients. First, the SMART-PDA pilot RCT from Souvik Mitra and colleagues, which uses comprehensive hemodynamic screening to selectively treat high-volume shunts in infants born before 26 weeks, and whose striking Bayesian signal for reduced pulmonary hemorrhage and NEC stopped the trial early. Then a companion JAMA Network Open comparative effectiveness study across four pharmacotherapy regimens. Along the way, Ben shares hemodynamics pearls from his Montreal training: why left ventricular output, LA:Ao ratio, and transductal velocity matter more than PDA diameter alone.----Selective early medical treatment of the patent ductus arteriosus in extremely low gestational age infants: a pilot randomised controlled trial (SMART-PDA). Mitra S, Hebert A, Castaldo MP, Disher T, El-Naggar W, Dhillon S, Alhassen Z, Koo J, Katheria AC, Hyderi A, Kumaran K, Ting J, Surak A, Larocque J, Pepper D, Hornberger L, Makoni M, Weisz DE, Jain A, Bacchini F, Cameron-Nola AJJ, Hatfield T, Dorling J, McNamara PJ, Thabane L.Arch Dis Child Fetal Neonatal Ed. 2026 May 18:fetalneonatal-2026-330462. doi: 10.1136/archdischild-2026-330462. Online ahead of print.PMID: 42150872Pharmacologic Therapies for Patent Ductus Arteriosus in Extremely Preterm Infants. Mitra S, Jain A, Ting JY, Ben Fadel N, Drolet C, Abou Mehrem A, Soraisham AS, Jasani B, Louis D, Lapointe A, Dorling J, Khurshid F, Hyderi A, Kumaran K, Toye J, Harabor A, Weisz DE, Stavel M, Morin A, Bhattacharya S, Lalitha R, Afifi J, Augustine S, Castaldo MP, Hatfield T, Su YC, Shah PS; Canadian Neonatal Network Investigators.JAMA Netw Open. 2026 Jun 1;9(6):e2617477. doi: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2026.17477.PMID: 42262753 Free PMC article.Support the showAs always, feel free to send us questions, comments, or suggestions to our email: nicupodcast@gmail.com. You can also contact the show through Instagram or Twitter, @nicupodcast. Or contact Ben and Daphna directly via their Twitter profiles: @drnicu and @doctordaphnamd. The papers discussed in today's episode are listed and timestamped on the webpage linked below.Enjoy!

Principalele subiecte politice și sociale ale momentului. Este Pașca un erou sau abuzator? Nicușor, americanii și jocurile de noroc. O glumă de proces pentru PNL . Iran vs Statele Unite. O luăm de la capăt? Cătălin Striblea, Analyze That 74.

Send us Fan MailIn this episode, Ben and Daphna sit down with Dr. Scott, pediatrician, neonatologist, and inventor of the Tortle. She shares how a simple observation in her Idaho practice, babies developing flat heads despite diligent parents, sparked a second career in medical device innovation. The conversation covers the evolution from the original corrective beanie to the Midliner and Transportal, the physiologic rationale for midline positioning in IVH prevention, and real-world data from a Tennessee children's hospital that cut its IVH rate from 28% to under 6%. She also offers candid advice for clinicians looking to turn an idea into a product.Support the showAs always, feel free to send us questions, comments, or suggestions to our email: nicupodcast@gmail.com. You can also contact the show through Instagram or Twitter, @nicupodcast. Or contact Ben and Daphna directly via their Twitter profiles: @drnicu and @doctordaphnamd. The papers discussed in today's episode are listed and timestamped on the webpage linked below.Enjoy!

Kristin Smith has spent 20 years helping new families survive the hardest weeks of their lives. As the founder of Well Supported Family — a team of over 200 postpartum doulas, newborn care specialists, and nurses operating across 12 states — she's built the modern village that most families desperately need and almost nobody has access to.Now she has a two-month-old of her own. An adopted son she got the call about while she was standing at an elephant orphanage in Kenya. He came home through the NICU. And for the first time, she's on the parent side of everything she's built — learning what it feels like to need the very support she's spent two decades providing.In this conversation, Ashley and Kristin talk about the postpartum care gap, the different paths to parenthood, what actually happens in those first nights home, and what it looks like to practice exactly what you preach.In This EpisodeHow Kristin started — a postpartum doula at 19 after having her daughter with almost no supportGrowing Well Supported Family from a private practice to a team of 200+ across 12 statesWhy postpartum care in the US is so inadequate — and what it would take to fix itWhat in-home newborn care actually looks like and how it's tailored to each familyThe RV team, the travel team, and how they reach families in almost every stateNICU babies coming home — the adjustment nobody prepares families forThe call from Kenya — a failed adoption, four days into a trip, at an elephant orphanageThree rounds of IVF and what that experience gave her as a providerBeing on the parent side for the first time — and convincing herself her own baby was brokenWhy adopted babies don't get the postpartum support they need — and the rude awakening that followedThe philosophy at the heart of her work: build children into your life, not your life around themWhat's next — expanding into mental health support and more statesQuotes From This Episode“You can have a wound inside your body the size of a basketball, and it was attached. Just because nobody sees it doesn't mean it doesn't hurt.”— Kristin Smith“I don't believe parents should build their life around children. I believe they should build children into their lives.”— Kristin Smith“I was at the elephant orphanage when this baby was born. That feels so symbolic.”— Kristin Smith“I was convinced he was broken. I'm a professional. What is he doing? And then someone said, he was four weeks early. You're expecting a lot right now.”— Kristin Smith“It's not just giving them the break they need — it's helping them learn to build a life with their child.”— Kristin SmithResources & LinksWell Supported Family: wellsupportedfamily.comBaby Care Classes: available via wellsupportedfamily.comInstagram, Facebook, TikTok, YouTube: @wellsupportedfamilyFind Kristin on Facebook: Kristin LeeConnect with Ashley:Website: https://www.ashleyblackington.comPodcast website: https://www.andbothpodcast.com/Dovetail® App: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/dovetail-app/id6744341822Instagram: @mydovetail.careLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ashleyblackington/

For the 4th of July, the 250th birthday of America, Adam did the most Okie thing a man can do to celebrate: he took the family to a rodeo. Both boys went mutton busting, Friday and Saturday. Leo, six, drew a slow sheep the second night and rode it a full 17 seconds, hanging on and hollering "keep going, keep going!" into its ear because he knew he needed that sheep to move to score.-----------Sponsor: The Amen app (from the Augustine Institute)The Amen app is the free Catholic prayer app the guys use to prep the family for Sunday, listening to the Sunday Gospel on the way to Holy Mass so the kids are ready to receive it before they walk in. No paywall, no subscription trap, no upfront cost. Download the Amen app right now.Sponsor: Select International Tours: selectinternationaltours.comWhen Adam and Dave decided to lead their first pilgrimage, one name kept coming up: Select International Tours. Having used them, the guys can vouch for it. Wherever in the world you want to go, Select has a tour ready. Whether you want to lead a pilgrimage or attend one, head to selectinternationaltours.com and see everything they offer. You won't regret it.----------He placed top three, took home a little money and a free snow cone, and nobody's sure which one he was prouder of. John, three, puffed his chest out all day, crumbled at the chute, rode two seconds, hit the dirt, cried, and then immediately declared he was doing it again tomorrow. He did. Same result. He was in it for the story.Then there's Adam and the bull. He's always had the itch to put himself on the line, to go where it takes fortitude and prudence and a whole lot of luck. So he slipped up to the chute with the cowboys, just to feel the atmosphere next to something that powerful. A storm blew in and cut the bull riding short. Adam's calling that one Providence, same as the fight that got cancelled back when COVID shut down the world. Some signs you don't get to ignore.The pour is Teeling Wonders of Wood Single Pot Still, Virgin Swedish Oak. Ninety three dollars, and worth it. No Jim on hand to work the yummy scale, so the guys guessed it might've metamorphosed into a 7.321. Deep, resonant, dangerously delicious.The prayer request is Mary. She's a little over four months now, still in the NICU. Adam sent a photo of her smiling right through all the tubing, and it melted everybody. It's been a hard stretch, a step back, but she recovered fast, her breathing's improving, and there's talk of scheduling open heart surgery in the next four to six months. Adam described the NICU "tree," the pole that once held fifteen to twenty bags and lines and now holds four. Look where they were. Look where they are. Thank you for the prayers. They have not been in vain, and Lady Haylee has been heroic through all of it.Then the topic: what to do when you're struggling. Not just spiritual struggle. Focus, work, sin, the whole weight of it. Most of it isn't laziness. It's disorder, a misalignment between the intellect and the appetites, an internal civil war stoked by stress and exhaustion and distraction. Aquinas names it. Augustine sharpens it: the mind commands the body and it obeys instantly, but the mind commands itself and is resisted. Adam's own admission cut deepest. There is a part of him that does not want to be holy. Naming that was the whole battle. Once he saw the enemy clearly, fasting and prayer stopped feeling like punishment and started feeling like war worth waging. Protect, provide, establish, and fight for your own soul while you're at it. Win the next 15 minutes. Then win the next one. Raise your glass.TOPICS COVEREDCelebrating the 4th of July, America's 250th, the most Okie way possible: a rodeoLeo and John mutton busting both nights, and Leo riding a slow sheep 17 seconds while yelling at it to keep goingJohn, three years old, crumbling at the chute, crying, and immediately signing up to do it againThe bull that jumped the arena into the stands, and Adam's lifelong itch to ride oneAdam sneaking up to the chute and the storm that cut the bull riding short as ProvidenceCarl's 4th of July party, the Declaration recited by teenagers, the bike parade, and drinking a beer while riding a bike ("bunking")Bourbon of the week: Teeling Wonders of Wood Single Pot Still, Virgin Swedish Oak, $93Running the yummy scale without Jim and guessing at a 7.321Prayer update on baby Mary: four months in the NICU, a smiling photo through the tubing, and open heart surgery on the horizonThe NICU "tree" as a visualization of progress, from twenty lines down to fourWhy most struggle is not laziness but disorder and a lack of a clear vision of the endThe human person broken down: intellect, will, and appetites, each with different triggersSt. Thomas Aquinas on the harmony between intellect and appetite, and the civil war when they misalignSt. Augustine on the mind that commands the body instantly but resists commanding itselfThe full life of St. John Paul II as a case study in struggle met with faith and joyWhy you should tell your kids and grandkids your real struggle stories, not hide themRedemptive suffering, and the shortage of real perseverance stories for kids raised on pop cultureTolkien on dragons: children already know dragons exist; they need to know dragons can be beatenCuriosity as the quiet vice, and choosing the good over even a lesser goodWhy it's about atmosphere and scenarios, not willpower, because willpower gives out fastAdam's admission that part of him does not want to be holy, and going to war against itFortitude as the virtue of winning by not losing, and building a habit of small victoriesThe Dave Ramsey debt snowball as a picture of stacking winsCustody of the eyes, stopping the struggle before it starts, and "today, I will be a saint"REFERENCED IN THIS EPISODEBooks & Writings:Confessions by St. Augustine (the mind commands itself and is resisted)Summa Theologiae by St. Thomas Aquinas (harmony and misalignment of intellect and appetite)The Aeneid by Virgil (Adam reading it aloud with his boys over the summer)Tolkien's line on dragons in children's stories (misremembered on air as "Jetson")Saints & Church Figures:St. John Paul II, Karol Wojtyła (the extended story of his life and suffering)St. Thomas AquinasSt. AugustineThe bishop referenced in the "bishop's flattery" aside, may he rest in peacePeople:Adam Minihan (host; the rodeo, the chute, baby Mary, M6 Marketing, The Grounded Builder on Substack)Dave Niles (host; Lady Pamela and the kids)Lady Haylee (heroic through Mary's NICU stay)Leo and John Minihan (the mutton busters)Karl Graham (friend of the show; the 4th of July party)Dave Ramsey (the debt snowball and the philosophy of stacking wins)

In this heartfelt listener story, Liana shares how three very different pregnancies and births each shaped her experience of motherhood in unexpected ways. After developing gestational hypertension that progressed to postpartum preeclampsia with her first baby, she found herself navigating the uncertainty of a premature birth and NICU stay, all while trying to understand what had happened to her own body.Years later, another unexpected NICU stay with her third baby brought many of those emotions rushing back. Liana reflects on how trauma can resurface long after the initial event, why comparing our stories to others can minimize our own experiences, and how finding the birth trauma community finally gave her permission to recognize that what she lived through truly mattered.In This Episode, We Discuss:

Vision Cast kicks off the Summer Song and Dance Festival with live vocal performances, original music, and one of the sweetest family updates of the year. Co-hosted by Salvis and Rita with JC, Donald, Katie, and Stacey James on the panel — plus a pre-recorded drop-in from Preston who joins the show later on. The night opens with a soulful R&B-style birthday serenade for Katie, setting the celebration tone for the rest of the show. Rita then takes the virtual stage with beautiful, impromptu live renditions of Selena Quintanilla's "Como La Flor" and the timeless "La Bamba" — a heartfelt tribute landing the same week the Latin music world is buzzing over A.B. Quintanilla's response to the Ángela Aguilar Como La Flor cover controversy. Stacey debuts three original instrumental pieces she made in Suno AI — the sun-soaked "Tropical Sun," the mellow "Sun on the Cedar," and a first sneak peek of her upcoming LGBTQ+ music project "Rainbow Love." It's a perfect fit for the post-Pride July Accountability moment and part of Suno's massive 2026 wave (2 million paid subscribers and the brand-new Soccer Anthem generator released just this week). Then comes the biggest news of the night: Stacey shares that baby Noah has officially graduated from the NICU and is home with the family, perfectly timed with this week's viral #NICUGraduate wave celebrating NICU staff and grad babies across the country. Donald is bringing the holiday cheer to summer with a preview of his feature-length Christmas in July music specials on Super Hit Mix Radio — riding the same "summer revenue playbook" internet radio trend that has stations like RadioU flipping their format to all-holiday this week. Preston sends a warm hello and update via a pre-recorded message before jumping on the show later in the evening to catch up with the crew, and JC shares his excitement for an upcoming Puerto Rico trip before heading out early — expect coquí, salsa, and street food stories in a future episode.The crew rounds out the evening with a riff on how Suno AI, VoiceOver-friendly music tools, and independent internet radio are opening doors for blind creators to release polished tracks and full stations without a big-studio setup, and closes the way only Vision Cast can: with the legendary reminder that "Doodles spill the milk!"Keep technology alive, let your talent shine.Recorded 2026-07-08. Hosted by Salvis and Rita on the VisionCast Network.

In this week's podcast episode we're revisiting a beautiful roundtable conversation from season 8  for an honest discussion about mental health after the NICU with Dear NICU Mama volunteers, Kamille and Lexxa.Together, they share vulnerably about their own experiences with postpartum depression, anxiety, PTSD, therapy, medication, and the lifelong healing that follows a traumatic birth and NICU stay. They reflect on what it looked like to ask for help, navigate motherhood after trauma, support their mental health through different seasons, and find hope in community along the way.Whether you are fresh in your NICU journey or years beyond it, we hope this conversation reminds you that healing is lifelong. You are not alone and asking for support is one of the bravest things you can do.No matter where you find yourself today, we hope this episode serves as a gentle reminder that you are worthy of healing, worthy of care, and deeply loved. This sisterhood heals with you!For the PSI Help Line, head here. For the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, dial 988 or head here.To get connected with DNM:Website | Private Facebook Group | InstagramSupport the show

Nicola's two birth stories include several abnormal and/or frightening elements. Her first was an ultimately uneventful breech birth (but a surprise breech!). Her second, however, included placental abruption, emergency cesarean, neonatal resuscitation, a helicopter lift, and a NICU stay. Through it all, Nicola points out the ways she saw God's hand at work, protecting them, providing for them, and ultimately showering them with blessings. She wouldn't do it any other way; she's still a fierce advocate for home birth and midwifery care. Please note that we had a lot of challenges recording these stories, and editing the recording to make it salvageable posed significant hurdles. If it seems choppy or "off" at points, this is the reason. However, the stories are rich, and I hope you'll hang with us through the hiccups to mine the gold nuggets. You can find Nicola on IGGet on the First-To-Know list for our fall cohort of Hearthmother Journey and get an exclusive invitation to our open house.BIRTH STORY DISCLAIMER:The choices, beliefs, and opinions of the mamas sharing their stories are as individual as the storyteller herself and do not necessarily reflect the beliefs or recommended choices of Lauren and/or Brooke.Connect:Email us to say hi: hello@hearthmotherministries.comPut in a request for future topics and/or submit a question for future Q&A episodes: Fill out the formApply to tell your birth story on the podcast: http://sisterbirth.com/podcast-guestHang out with us and other Holy Wild Women in our private community (off Facebook): https://hearthmotherministries.app.clientclub.net/communities/groups/community/homeBecome a holy, wild birthkeeper with us inside Hearthmother JourneyFrom Lauren:Midwifery consults: Email  rootedinedenpma@gmail.comFrom Brooke:Trust God, Trust Birth Workshop - a 5-part high-level roadmap to a confident home birth (pay what you can)Faith-Filled Home Birth Workshop - a free, 3-part video series delivered to your inboxEmbrace Birth Journey - comprehensive and holistic faith-based home birth preparation (courses + private community)Intro and Outra Music Credit -Betty Dear By Blue Dot Sessions is licensed under a Creative Commons License.

July is National Bereaved Parents Awareness Month. Twice a week, we are re-releasing past podcast episodes honoring a variety of families and circumstances in their grief. Trigger warning: this episode centers on infant loss and grief. In this episode, Keira Sorrells shares her journey through infertility, a high-risk multiple pregnancy, life in the NICU with her triplets, and the heartbreaking loss of her daughter, Zoe, at 14 months old. She reflects on navigating grief while parenting Zoe's surviving sisters, the impact of loss on her marriage, and the ways grief evolves over time. Keira's story is a powerful testament to enduring love, resilience, and finding purpose through advocacy and her work supporting other bereaved families.   

Did you know that congenital CMV-related hearing loss can develop several years after birth? On the BackTable ENT & Allergy Podcast, hosts Dr. Gopi Shah and Dr. Jeff Hyzer interview pediatric otolaryngologist Dr. Albert Park about the latest evidence on congenital CMV and its role in pediatric sensorineural hearing loss. The discussion covers diagnosis, risk factors, screening protocols, testing strategies, antiviral treatment, genetic workup, long-term surveillance, and future directions for early detection and prevention. --- Get the BackTable apphttps://www.backtable.com/app --- Timestamps 00:00 - Introduction 02:47 - Basics of CMV Infections and Hearing Loss Presentation 07:57 - CMV Screening Workflow 11:33 - Saliva vs. Urine Based Screening 14:00 - Early Workup and Communication 19:37 - Late Onset Workup and Use of Antivirals 24:39 - Treatment with Antiviral Medications 27:22 - Head Ultrasound vs. MRI 30:06 - Role of Genetic Testing 32:47 - Surveillance and Progression Risk37:29 - CI Outcomes and Predictors42:18 - BAHA and Older Candidates45:44 - Awareness, Prevention Efforts, and Education 54:25 - Vaccines and Universal Screening Pitfalls 57:40 - Advocacy and Closing Thoughts --- More about this episode Dr. Park explains the differences between congenital and acquired CMV, reviews epidemiology and, and highlights that hearing loss may be present at birth or develop later in childhood. He discusses Utah's evolution from hearing-targeted CMV testing to universal NICU screening, emphasizing the importance of diagnosis within the first 21 days of life. The conversation covers saliva versus urine testing, dried blood spot testing, and the role of a multidisciplinary team in evaluation and management. Dr. Park also reviews antiviral treatment strategies, imaging and genetic testing considerations, audiologic surveillance, and cochlear implantation outcomes. Finally, he discusses ongoing advocacy efforts, emerging prenatal screening technologies, and future directions and challenges for CMV prevention and early detection. --- Resources Nance & Morton NEJM Paper Cited - 20% of Congenital SNHL linked to Congenital CMV https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMra050700 Dr.Kimberlin's work supporting antiviral treatment for 6 months https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa1404599?utm_source=openevidence Dr.Vossen's antiviral therapy research https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38336204/ AAP Red Book https://publications.aap.org/redbook Dr. Smith's Research - Genetic Testing for Congenital Bilateral Hearing Loss in the Context of Targeted Cytomegalovirus Screeninghttps://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31985074/ Dr.Park's Research Congenital Cytomegalovirus Testing Outcomes From the ValEAR Trialhttps://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38415855/ Dr.Park's Research - Analysis of an Expanded Targeted Early Cytomegalovirus Testing Programhttps://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36884018/ Dr.Foulon - Hearing Loss With Congenital Cytomegalovirus Infectionhttps://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31266824/ Research about the use of Vaclovir to reduce vertical transmissionhttps://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32919517/ Dr.Gantt's research on the Ping-Pong Effecthttps://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29889809/ --- BackTable ENT & Allergy is the go-to podcast for otolaryngologists, allergists, and head and neck surgeons. Download the free BackTable app to get early access to new episodes, cases, and courses curated by physicians in your specialty. ► https://www.backtable.com/app

Send us Fan MailDoes the latest Cochrane evidence finally tip the balance in favor of erythropoiesis stimulating agents in preterm infants? In this VON Grand Rounds follow-up episode, Ben sits down with Dr. Roger Soll and Dr. Souvik Mitra to review the 2026 Cochrane systematic review on early ESA use in preterm newborns. Across 37 trials and over 6,000 infants, early ESAs consistently reduce the need for red blood cell transfusion. The review also confirms with high certainty that ESAs do not increase retinopathy of prematurity. The conversation covers shared decision making, drug selection, dosing, iron supplementation, and which patient populations should be prioritized.Support the showAs always, feel free to send us questions, comments, or suggestions to our email: nicupodcast@gmail.com. You can also contact the show through Instagram or Twitter, @nicupodcast. Or contact Ben and Daphna directly via their Twitter profiles: @drnicu and @doctordaphnamd. The papers discussed in today's episode are listed and timestamped on the webpage linked below.Enjoy!

July is National Bereaved Parents Awareness Month. Twice a week, we are re-releasing past podcast episodes honoring a variety of families and circumstances in their grief. Trigger warning: this episode centers on infant loss and grief. In this episode, we visit with grief counselor Becca Van Tassel about the challenging work of navigating grief after the loss of a baby. We explore why grief can be so painful, how it differs from depression, and practical ways families can support one another through mourning, including coping with guilt, honoring a child's memory, and helping siblings process loss. Grounded in Worden's Four Tasks of Mourning, this conversation offers compassionate guidance and hope for bereaved NICU families seeking to understand and move through their grief.  

Send us Fan MailWelcome to On The Path with Cheryl Nembhard!This week, Cheryl sits down with Ash Ruddy — award-winning business coach, speaker, advocate, and author of Twenty-Four + One: A Mother's Story of Faith, Love, and Miracles.When Ash gave birth at just 24 weeks, her world changed in an instant. What followed was a long and uncertain NICU journey that tested her faith, redefined her understanding of motherhood, and revealed God's presence in the darkest moments. In this deeply moving conversation, Ash shares the story behind her memoir and the miracles, surrender, and resilience that carried her family through.In this heartfelt conversation, they explore:The powerful story behind Twenty-Four + One and its life-changing titleFinding God's presence in seasons of fear, uncertainty, and waitingWhat surrender and trust really look like when life feels out of controlEncouragement for anyone navigating an unexpected turn in lifeAsh's story is a beautiful reminder that even in our most fragile moments, God is faithful. Whether you're walking through hardship, waiting for a breakthrough, or searching for hope in the middle of uncertainty, this conversation will encourage your heart and strengthen your faith.Listen now and be inspired by a remarkable story of faith, miracles, and the God who never leaves us in the storm.

A large Australian study comparing public and private maternity care seemed to show better outcomes for mothers and babies in private obstetric-led care, including lower rates of stillbirth, NICU admission, severe perineal tears, and maternal haemorrhage. But the story is much more complicated than the headline suggests.In this episode of Baby Tribe Shorts, Afif and Anne unpack the study and ask whether it really proves that private care is safer, or whether the results reflect something deeper: differences in patient selection, continuity of care, intervention thresholds, and the fact that public hospitals often absorb the highest-risk pregnancies.They also discuss why the findings may not translate neatly to Ireland, where private obstetric care usually sits within public maternity hospitals rather than separate private maternity units. The take-home message is not that public care is worse, but that fragmented care, lack of continuity, and risk transfer matter. A high-risk hospital having worse outcomes does not mean it gives worse care. Sometimes it simply means it is looking after the patients who need the most help.Link to Article: https://obgyn.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/1471-0528.18286

The Tribe & Nicole Cesternino Have Spoken | Pod Friends This week on the season finale of Pod Friends, Matt Scott (@MattScottGW) sits down with Nicole Cesternino (@nicolecesternino) for a heartfelt conversation about family, grief, parenthood, identity, and the remarkable journey behind one of reality TV's most beloved communities. Nicole reflects on growing up on Long Island, her years as a NICU nurse, raising a family, and the experiences that have shaped who she is today. Along the way, she opens up about ADHD, supporting others through life's biggest moments, navigating the loss of her mom, and embracing the next chapter of her own story. Together, Matt and Nicole also talk about Rob Has A Podcast, Rob's New York Times bestseller book The Tribe & I Have Spoken, live shows, friendships, motherhood, and what it's been like helping build a community that has become home for so many people over the past 15 years. If you've ever wondered about the woman behind RHAP, the power of showing up for others, or how to build a meaningful life through love, resilience, and community, this episode is for you. Suggest a future guest: bit.ly/podfriendsnom Leave a voicemail: speakpipe.com/podfriends Email: podfriends@robhasawebsite.com Follow on social media: Twitter: @HeyPodFriends & @MattScottGW Instagram: @MattScottGW Bluesky: MattScottGW.bsky.social Never miss an episode of Pod Friends: LISTEN:  Subscribe to the Pod Friends podcast feed WATCH:  Subscribe to the podcast on YouTube SUPPORT:  Become a RHAP Patron for bonus content, access to Facebook and Discord groups plus more great perks!

Madelyn's first son's birth came with an induction, a NICU stay, and a feeding journey she never expected. Although she wasn't ready for another baby right away, she carried with her a desire for a more healing birth experience. Four years later, she welcomed her second baby in a completely different way: a peaceful homebirth surrounded by love, trust, and support. With the guidance of a trusted midwife, the presence of her husband, her two best friends, and her hypnobirth doula, she experienced a birth that was truly on her terms. In this episode, she shares her journey from a difficult first birth to a transformative second birth, and how creating a supportive birth team and trusting her intuition allowed her to experience the healing birth she had hoped for.  If you love the show, I would greatly appreciate a review on  Spotify or Apple Podcasts! Follow me on Instagram @healingbirth Do you have a birth story you'd like to share on the podcast, or would like to otherwise connect? I love to hear from you! Send me a note at contactus@healingbirth.net Intro / Outro music: Dreams by Markvard Podcast cover photo by Karina Jensen @karinajensenphoto

Send us Fan MailNeonatal sepsis physiology, steroids, vasopressors, and moms.gov. A full week on The Incubator Journal Club.Adrianne and Nim open with a retrospective study from Toronto challenging the assumption that hypoxemic respiratory failure in septic preterm infants is driven by elevated pulmonary vascular resistance. The data points instead to left ventricular dysfunction as a key contributor, raising questions about the reflex to reach for nitric oxide first.Nim then reviews a double-blind RCT from northern India evaluating early hydrocortisone versus placebo in neonatal fluid-refractory shock. The primary outcome did not reach statistical significance, but an 11 percent absolute reduction in mortality and a 70 percent open-label crossover rate tell a story of their own.Adrianne closes the journal club with a double-blind RCT comparing norepinephrine to dopamine for neonatal septic shock, finding no significant difference in shock reversal at 30 minutes, though significant methodological limitations make the findings hard to act on.Eli and Ben close the week on Neo News with a look at the newly launched moms.gov and what clinicians should know before their patients bring it up.Support the showAs always, feel free to send us questions, comments, or suggestions to our email: nicupodcast@gmail.com. You can also contact the show through Instagram or Twitter, @nicupodcast. Or contact Ben and Daphna directly via their Twitter profiles: @drnicu and @doctordaphnamd. The papers discussed in today's episode are listed and timestamped on the webpage linked below.Enjoy!

A beautiful reunion at a California hospital brings NICU families and care teams back together for a sweet moment. AND The singer and entertainer had been dealing with some health issues. Knowing she is doing better is quite the relief, and we pray she continues to heal. To see videos and photos referenced in this episode, visit GodUpdates! https://www.godtube.com/blog/hospital-nicu-reunion.html https://www.godtube.com/blog/dolly-parton-health-update.html Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

Send us Fan MailDeliver at 11 PM Tuesday and round at 1 AM Wednesday: paid. Deliver at 8 AM Tuesday and round at 4 PM Tuesday: included in the delivery code, and billing it separately is a compliance violation. Same clinical work, two different outcomes. The only variable is the calendar. Starting January 1, 2027 postpartum care moves to E/M billing with hospital rounds, discharge management, and outpatient checkups all individually billable. Dr. Heather Signorelli walks through the code sets, the same-day trap, the multi-provider wrinkle, and the three-step workflow that catches it every time. The end of the postpartum bundle: Code 59430 (postpartum care only) is deleted January 1, 2027. All postpartum care moves to E/M billing. Two settings, two code sets: inpatient (hospital rounds) and outpatient (office visits). Inpatient postpartum codes: Subsequent hospital care: 99231, 99232, 99233 for daily rounding visits after the date of delivery. Discharge day management: 99238 (30 minutes or less) or 99239 (over 30 minutes). Every rounding day after delivery, on a new calendar date, is a separately billable E/M encounter. Documentation has to support the level. A one-liner does not support a 99233. Outpatient postpartum codes (with telehealth correction): Standard office E/M: 99212 through 99215 with modifier TH. Telehealth uses the same 99212 through 99215 codes with modifier 95 or GT, and place of service 02 or 10. There is no separate “98000” telehealth code set, contrary to earlier references in this series. Modifier TH on all postpartum E/M codes communicates the maternity context to the payer. The same-day rule: Postpartum E/M codes CANNOT be reported on the same calendar date as the delivery code. Same-day postpartum management is included in the delivery code. Calendar date means midnight to midnight, not twenty-four hours from delivery time. The multi-provider wrinkle: If Dr. Smith delivers at 8 AM and Dr. Jones rounds at 4 PM the same day, Dr. Jones cannot bill an E/M for that visit. The delivery code covers same-day postpartum regardless of which provider from the same group performs it. This requires an internal compensation and attribution policy, not just a billing rule. The workflow fix — three steps: Timestamp discipline on every delivery and rounding note Billing team hard stop: verify delivery date before dropping any postpartum E/M charge Daily L and D reconciliation: track delivery date, rounding date, and provider by patient, daily The revenue opportunity: Every hospital rounding day after the delivery date is a new billable E/M. Extended stays from complications (postpartum hemorrhage, severe preeclampsia, wound infection, NICU situations) all generate additional charges. Complexity matters for reimbursement. Outpatient two-week and six-week checks are now individually billable instead of absorbed into a global fee. The same-day rule is the risk. Everything after midnight is the opportunity. Quick Reference Table:Topic                                                                             What to knowDeleted postpartum code                            59430 — deleted Jan 1, 2027 Inpatient rounds                                             99231 – 99233 Discharge codes                                                      99238 (≤30 min) · 99239 (>30 min)Outpatient postpartum                                 99212 – 99215 + modifier TH Telehealth modifier                                        Modifier 95 or GT · POS 02 or 10                                                                             NOT a separate 98000     code set Same-day rule                                                           Postpartum E/M cannot be billed on the                                                                              same calendar date as the delivery Calendar definition                                        Midnight to midnight Multi-provider same-day                                    Delivery code covers regardless of                                                                                       which group provider roundsWorkflow fix                                                    Timestamps · billing hard stop · daily                                                                                    reconciliationRESOURCES BLOCK Save your seat: Live OB/GYN Global Codes Update Webinar (July 7, 2026, 4:00 PM ET) · eligibility.natrevmd.com/obgyn-global-updates-webinar Book a 1:1 with Dr. Signorelli · calendly.com/heather-natrevmd/ Practice Revenue Leak Scorecard · eligibility.natrevmd.com/nrm-revenue-scorecard-v3 Payment Posting Audit Checklist · eligibility.natrevmd.com/payment-posting-checklist RECOVER Diagnostic Quiz · natrevmd.com/quiz Series Part 3 (EP191): https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/191-labor-management-is-no-longer-invisible/id1624182351?i=1000775009191

Send us Fan MailIn this episode of Neo News, Ben and Eli discuss the federal government's Mother's Day press conference and the launch of moms.gov, a new website aimed at supporting new and expecting mothers. They examine what the administration got right, including the real barriers families face in accessing maternal care and the economic challenges of having children in America today. They also dig into what the website links to, including Option Line, run by Heartbeat International, an organization with a specific position on abortion, and what that means for the information patients will actually receive. A grounded, clinically relevant conversation about a website your patients are already seeing.Support the showAs always, feel free to send us questions, comments, or suggestions to our email: nicupodcast@gmail.com. You can also contact the show through Instagram or Twitter, @nicupodcast. Or contact Ben and Daphna directly via their Twitter profiles: @drnicu and @doctordaphnamd. The papers discussed in today's episode are listed and timestamped on the webpage linked below.Enjoy!

Jody Gelb had a calm, healthy pregnancy — and then, in the span of a single hospital stay, everything changed. A rushed delivery. Forceps. A baby who wasn't breathing. An emergency trip to the NICU before Jody had even held her daughter. Days later, a nurse handed her the poem "Welcome to Holland," a metaphor often given to parents of children with special needs. You planned a trip to Italy, you landed somewhere unexpected, and it turns out to be lovely too. Jody appreciated it. But it didn't fit. Holland was calm. This was a crash landing. In this conversation, Jody — a stage actor with 40 years on New York and San Francisco stages, and author of the memoir She May Be Lying Down, But She May Be Very Happy — tells her daughter Louisa's story on her behalf. She and Cody trace the slow climb from that terrifying first year — hoping for a limp, then a wheelchair, then simply that her daughter would know she was loved — through years of real joy, a tracheostomy, and a worldwide community of families who taught her how to keep her heart open. It's a story about how much a person can survive, and how grace tends to show up exactly when it's needed — in a husband's words, a stranger's kindness, a stage manager who drove a grieving mother home.

There was a time when I thought surviving a stillbirth meant I had already lived through the worst thing imaginable. Then I miscarried. In this episode, I'm sharing what I learned from experiencing a miscarriage after stillbirth—and why it challenged so much of what I thought I knew about grief, hope, healing, and myself. This isn't a chronological retelling of what happened. It's an honest conversation about the lessons that came from losing another baby: why you never become "used to" loss, how trauma changes the way your body experiences pregnancy, why hope can feel terrifying after heartbreak, and how rebuilding a life doesn't mean leaving your babies behind. Whether you've experienced miscarriage, stillbirth, infertility, or any kind of profound loss, I hope this episode reminds you that healing isn't linear, grief evolves, and it's possible to carry both heartbreak and hope at the same time. We'll talk about: • Why every pregnancy loss is different—even after stillbirth. • How trauma shapes future pregnancies and the waiting that comes with them. • The surprising ways grief changes over time. • Why protecting your heart isn't the same as giving up hope. • What rebuilding your life has taught me after losing two babies. If you've ever wondered whether you'll be able to hope again after loss, this episode is for you.   Find my NEW BOOK on Amazon! Stillbirth Survival   ************************************* This Podcast is brought to you by LossLink.com. Find your loss posse in our are or internationally! Join this private, membership based community today.   NOTE: I am not a doctor or a therapist. This podcast is not in place of therapy. The views of my guests are not always reflective of my own.  I am just a real life loss mom describing her experiences with life after loss. These are my experiences, and I'm putting it out there so you feel less alone. Always do your own research and make informed decisions!   For more REAL TALK about stillbirth and grief, hit subscribe to be notified when another episode drops!   Find me here: Instagram @thekatherinelazar Youtube: @thekatherinelazar Website: www.katherinelazar.com     Local to Atlanta: https://www.northsidepnl.com/  

Send us Fan MailIn this double-blind randomized controlled trial, Adrianne and Nim examine whether norepinephrine outperforms dopamine as a first-line vasoactive agent in neonates with fluid-refractory septic shock. The primary outcome, shock reversal at 30 minutes, was not significantly different between groups, at 32 percent for norepinephrine and 46 percent for dopamine. Secondary outcomes including mortality, IVH, NEC, and need for additional vasoactive support were also similar. The episode critically examines the methodological limitations of the study, including unclear sepsis definitions, absence of echo phenotyping, and unusually high starting doses, and asks whether the field needs better tools before these questions can be properly answered.----Norepinephrine versus Dopamine for Septic Shock in Neonates: A Randomized Controlled Trial.Mazhari MYA, Priyadarshi M, Singh P, Chaurasia S, Basu S.J Pediatr. 2025 Jul;282:114599. doi: 10.1016/j.jpeds.2025.114599. Epub 2025 Apr 17.PMID: 40252959 Clinical Trial.Support the showAs always, feel free to send us questions, comments, or suggestions to our email: nicupodcast@gmail.com. You can also contact the show through Instagram or Twitter, @nicupodcast. Or contact Ben and Daphna directly via their Twitter profiles: @drnicu and @doctordaphnamd. The papers discussed in today's episode are listed and timestamped on the webpage linked below.Enjoy!

In this week's podcast episode, Katie shares the remarkable story of her daughter Annie's early arrival and the incredible full circle moments woven throughout their NICU journey. At 25 weeks pregnant, Katie was unexpectedly diagnosed with severe preeclampsia and hospitalized before delivering Annie at 28 weeks. As a former 28-week preemie herself, Katie suddenly found herself walking the halls of the very same NICU where she had once been a patient.Katie opens up about navigating the uncertainty of a high-risk pregnancy, recovering from an unexpected C-section, and supporting her daughter through her NICU stay. She also shares the often-overlooked challenges of coming home after discharge, processing the trauma of the NICU, and learning that healing continues long after leaving the hospital.One of the most unforgettable parts of Katie's story is reconnecting with the respiratory therapist who cared for her more than 30 years ago, only to have him care for Annie before his retirement. It is a beautiful reminder of the lasting impact NICU healthcare professionals have on families and the unexpected ways hope can come full circle.Whether you are in the NICU today or years beyond your stay, we hope this conversation reminds you that even in the hardest seasons, moments of hope, healing, and redemption can find you when you least expect them.To get connected with DNM:Website | Private Facebook Group | InstagramSupport the show

Britney Holloway spent time caring for premature babies as a NICU nurse. She never imagined she would one day become the mother of a baby fighting for her own life.In this conversation, Britney shares Lily's story, her experience with severe preeclampsia, and the unexpected complications that changed everything. We talk about navigating the NICU, living with unanswered questions after infant loss and neonatal loss, carrying both grief and joy, and how honoring Lily's life has given new purpose to Britney's journey.Whether you've experienced infertility, pregnancy loss, infant loss, neonatal loss, NICU loss, or you're navigating life after loss, this episode offers an honest conversation about coping with grief, loss and grief, mental health, parenting after loss, and finding hope when the future looks different than you imagined.

"After a decade of devastating loss, and medical trauma nearly destroys his will to live, a man reaches the edge of giving up before the fragile birth of his son brings him a new hope. Today's episode featured Nathan Wieser. If you'd like to email Nathan, you can reach him at natelucywieser@gmail.com. Nathan is on Instagram @nathanwieser, and is on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/nathan.wieser.3 Nathan's book, a memoir, We Did It: A rare perspective from a husband and father enduring a decade of miscarriages, infant loss and the roller coaster of emotion in the NICU: https://a.co/d/0iR6km0q, and also their website for the short term rental in Turks & Caicos: www.grandturkrentals.comProducers: Whit Missildine, Andrew Waits Content/Trigger Warnings: adoption, divorce, religious trauma, alcohol abuse, violence/fighting, pregnancy loss, termination for medical reasons, stillbirth, miscarriage, infant death, medical negligence, traumatic birth, uterine rupture, blood loss, near-death experience, PTSD, suicidal ideation, substance abuse, NICU hospitalization, premature birth, infant medical trauma, sepsis, emergency surgery, wildfire/house fire, explicit language Social Media:Instagram: @actuallyhappeningTwitter/X: @TIAHPodcastFacebook: This Is Actually Happening Discussion Group Website: thisisactuallyhappening.com Website for Andrew Waits: andrdewwaits.com Support the Show: Support The Show on Patreon: patreon.com/happeningAudible subscribers can listen to all episodes of THIS IS ACTUALLY HAPPENING ad-free right now. Join Audible today by downloading the Audible app or visit Audible.com. Read more about Whit's insights into each episode on Beyond The Story Substack: whitmissildine.substack.com. On the Substack, Whit will be sharing personal reflections on the deeper themes that emerge from each episode and from across the conversations he's been immersed in for years, including the psychology of radical transformation, the power of storytelling, the lessons of trauma and healing, and how we die to an old Self and are reborn. He'll share behind-the-scenes glimpses into the making of the show and his own personal journey in creating it. Shop at the Store: The This Is Actually Happening online store is now officially open. Follow this link: thisisactuallyhappening.com/shop to access branded t-shirts, posters, stickers and more from the shop. Transcripts: Full transcripts of each episode are now available on the website, thisisactuallyhappening.com Intro Music: “Sleep Paralysis” - Scott VelasquezMusic Bed: Ambient Themes ServicesIf you or someone you know is struggling with the effects of trauma or mental illness, please refer to the following resources: National Suicide and Crisis Lifeline: Text or Call 988 National Alliance on Mental Illness: 1-800-950-6264National Sexual Assault Hotline (RAINN): 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Send us Fan MailIn this double-blind randomized controlled trial from northern India, Nim and Adrianne review whether early hydrocortisone reduces 14-day all-cause mortality in preterm infants with fluid-refractory shock. The primary outcome showed no statistically significant difference between groups, though an 11 percent absolute reduction in mortality in the hydrocortisone group raised clinical interest. A major limitation was the high rate of open-label steroid crossover, with over 70 percent of both groups ultimately receiving hydrocortisone. The study highlights the difficulty of achieving equipoise when clinicians already believe strongly in a therapy, and raises important questions about study design in neonatal shock research.----Early hydrocortisone verses placebo in neonatal shock- a double blind Randomized controlled trial. Dudeja S, Saini SS, Sundaram V, Dutta S, Sachdeva N, Kumar P.J Perinatol. 2025 Mar;45(3):342-349. doi: 10.1038/s41372-025-02222-3. Epub 2025 Feb 13.PMID: 39948354 Clinical Trial.Support the showAs always, feel free to send us questions, comments, or suggestions to our email: nicupodcast@gmail.com. You can also contact the show through Instagram or Twitter, @nicupodcast. Or contact Ben and Daphna directly via their Twitter profiles: @drnicu and @doctordaphnamd. The papers discussed in today's episode are listed and timestamped on the webpage linked below.Enjoy!

The Presence Study Toolkit is here—and it's more than a resource. It's a roadmap for transforming family-centered care in the NICU.In this episode of the Empowering NICU Parents Podcast, Nicole Nyberg is joined by Fabiana Bacchini, Executive Director of the Canadian Premature Babies Foundation and internationally recognized family advocate, to share the remarkable story behind the Presence Study Toolkit.Together, they discuss how the COVID-19 pandemic inspired the groundbreaking Presence Study, why its findings remain just as relevant today, and how a collaborative team of clinicians, researchers, and parent advocates transformed those recommendations into a practical implementation guide for NICUs around the world.As two of the lead authors of the toolkit, Nicole and Fabiana take listeners behind the scenes of its development, sharing the passion, purpose, and collaboration that brought it to life. They also explore simple, practical ways NICUs can begin implementing meaningful change—one chapter, one recommendation, and one small step at a time.Whether you're a NICU parent, nurse, physician, therapist, educator, quality improvement leader, or hospital administrator, this conversation will inspire you to rethink what family-centered care truly means and how small changes can have a lasting impact on babies and families.In this episode, you'll learn:• The story behind the Presence Study and why it still matters today.• How the Presence Study Toolkit bridges the gap between research and practice.• Why parents are essential caregivers—not visitors.• Practical ways to begin creating meaningful, sustainable culture change in your NICU.• The importance of remembering the why behind family-centered care.

There's a new Niles in the world. Joshua Benedict Rex was born this week, and Dave wants you to know how stressful it all was. For the dad, that is. The pressure. The anxiety. All those things. None of which come to mind right now. Joke's on Dave, though, because Lady Pamela got to the birth center, the midwife offered to break her water, and Joshua arrived eleven minutes later. That's boy number three, bringing the count to three boys and four girls. Adam got the "we're going in" text at the hospital, stopped to pray, and barely beat the birth. The baby's a content little guy. A stereotypical Niles baby, the spitting image of baby Davy. Baptism's in a couple weeks with Uncle Father Sean, godparents are Sarah and Drew, and somewhere in there is a real theology question the guys throw to the priests who listen: can you name godparents after the fact for a baby baptized in a rush? Asking for a Mary.That birth set the whole table. Every time a baby comes into this circle of friends, the men pull their money, buy one nicer bottle of whiskey, sign it with the kid's name, and drink it together. They call it the "baby bottles" tradition. It blends friends into family. And it's exactly the kind of gift that makes you grateful, which is what this whole episode is about.They're recording on a Friday, the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart, the same day the bishops of America consecrated the entire country to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. The pour is Glendalough, a pot still Irish whiskey the guys actually visited on pilgrimage. Triple distilled by law, smooth, no burn, and oddly cheap. The bottle shows St. Kevin in cruciform, a bird nesting in his open hand. The pious legend says he held that prayer posture so long the eggs hatched. Jim's scale (Irish edition): 3.96 out of 6.Then the meat: gratitude. Not the bumper-sticker kind. Gratitude is a virtue, a sub-virtue of justice, because it renders to another what's due, first to God who gave us everything. Aquinas lays out three degrees: recognition, expression, repayment. Most of us fail at the first one. We take the morning, the clothes, the breath for granted. St. Bernard calls ingratitude a scorching wind that dries up the streams of grace. God pours, the man doesn't return thanks, the flow stops.The hardest, most masculine turn in the episode is receiving. Men hate it. I don't need your charity. I can carry this cross. But refusing a gift graciously offered isn't humility. It's a wall. Adam's lived on the receiving end through Mary's time in the NICU, and he's learned the Christian paradox: the more graciously indebted you are, the richer your life, because the score is never even. That's not a debt to clear. That's a brotherhood.And the punchline ties it all together. Eucharist means thanksgiving. A man of gratitude is a Eucharistic man. You can't repay God for creating you, so He came down, became one of us, and offered Himself on your behalf. All you have to do is show up. Protect, provide, establish, and give thanks. Raise your glass.TOPICS COVEREDJoshua Benedict Rex Niles is born, baby boy number three, bringing the Niles count to three boys and four girlsDave's tongue-in-cheek case that the dad has it hardest in childbirthLady Pamela's eleven-minute birth at the birth center after the midwife broke her waterThe "kingship" theme running through the Niles boys' names: David, Joseph, and now Joshua Benedict RexWhy every Niles baby is a "cookie cutter" content baby, and Joshua looking just like baby DavyThe wonder that a child somehow looks like both mom and dad, "only God could make a baby look like both"Baptism plans with Uncle Father Sean and godparents Sarah and DrewThe open question for the priests who listen: can you name godparents after the fact for a baby baptized in a rush?The "baby bottles" tradition, the men pooling money for a signed bottle of whiskey to honor each new babyWhy this kind of tradition blends friends into familyRecording on the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart, and the U.S. bishops consecrating the country to the Sacred Heart of JesusWhiskey of the week: Glendalough pot still Irish whiskey, triple distilled and smoothThe legend of St. Kevin of Glendalough, the bird's nest in his hand and his love of all God's creaturesWhy Irish whiskey is the most approachable place to start, and surprisingly cheapJim's scale (Irish edition): 3.96 out of 6"Better than I deserve, I'm sure," Adam's go-to answer to "how are you?"The man at the pharmacy who'd just lost his wife, and never knowing what people are carryingGratitude as a virtue, and specifically a sub-virtue of justiceThe book of Job as the model of gratitude to the core: "the Lord has given and the Lord has taken away"Why a member of the Body of Christ is doing well no matter what else is going wrongAquinas's three degrees of gratitude: recognition, expression, repaymentWhy recognition is the weak spot for most people, the habit of taking things for grantedThe internal act of the will toward the benefactor as the heart of repaymentThe humility it takes to receive a gift, and why most men refuse charityHow receiving a gift graciously multiplies joy and binds a community togetherThe Christian paradox of being "graciously indebted," and why the score is never evenSt. Bernard of Clairvaux on ingratitude as a burning wind that dries up the streams of graceDeacon Garlick's prayer of thanks as a model for opening prayerMeditating on the magnitude of the Incarnation, the worm-and-the-man analogyWhy real men don't complain or "vent," and complaining as carrying the cross while griping about its weightDying for your family is easy; living for your family is hard, the little deathsAre you willing to get up, eat right, moderate your drinking, and put the phone down for your family?The Malcolm Gladwell mentorship lesson and the hidden cost of remote work, tribal knowledge not getting passed downWhy none of our best fatherhood or business "hacks" are original, and the duty to pass them onSt. John Chrysostom and St. Thérèse of Lisieux: gratitude as the superpower of the soulWhy you won't become holy without the habit of gratitude"People need to be reminded more than they need to be instructed"Keeping the right perspective so you don't live in a false reality the devil wants for youEucharist means thanksgiving, a man of gratitude is a Eucharistic manREFERENCED IN THIS EPISODEBooks & Writings:The Book of Job (the model of gratitude through suffering)The Summa Theologiae by St. Thomas Aquinas, Second Part of the Second Part (the three degrees of gratitude; ingratitude as sin)Malcolm Gladwell's work on mentorship and learning a craft (referenced by Adam)Saints & Church Fathers:St. Thomas Aquinas (the three degrees of gratitude; gratitude as a sub-virtue of justice)St. Bernard of Clairvaux (the "leaky vessel"; ingratitude as a burning wind that dries up the streams of grace)St. Kevin of Glendalough (the bird's-nest legend; love of God's creatures)St. John Chrysostom ("gratitude is the superpower of the soul")St. Thérèse of Lisieux (gratitude and the spiritual life)Simon of Cyrene (carrying the cross with Christ)People:Adam Minihan (host; founder of M6 Marketing; writes The Grounded Builder on Substack)Jim (in studio, keeper of the yummy scale)Lady Pamela Niles (delivered baby number seven)Joshua Benedict Rex Niles (newborn), David Jr., and Joseph Niles (the "kingship" names)Baby Mary Minihan (still in the NICU, the gifts and prayers received)Uncle Father Sean (baptizing Joshua); Sarah and Drew (godparents)Deacon Garlick (his prayer of thanks)Programs & Institutions:The Catholic Man Show pilgrimage (where the guys visited Glendalough)Glendalough Distillery, IrelandSPONSOR BLOCKSponsor: Select International Tours: selectinternationaltours.comWhen Adam and Dave decided to lead their first pilgrimage, one name kept coming up: Select International Tours. They're the best. Having used them, the guys can vouch for it. No matter where in the world you want to go, Select has a tour ready for you. Whether you want to lead a pilgrimage or attend one, head to selectinternationaltours.com and take a look at everything they offer. You won't regret it.

Happy Strawberry Moon, everyone! As we ease into summer and the hydrangeas and garden roses begin blooming here in Toronto, I find myself struck by the awe and beauty that quietly surrounds us each day. There's so much science behind how we experience the world. My guest on this moon's chapter of 3 Books has spent his career proving just that. Join me in welcoming one of the world's leading experts on happiness and human potential, a Harvard-trained positive psychologist and researcher whose ​TED Talk​ has been watched over 30 million (!) times, and a genuinely warm human I am proud to call a friend ... Mr. Shawn Achor! (pronounced like "acorn" without the n, btw!) I first met Shawn in Abu Dhabi, years ago, when we were both invited to speak to the Royal Family of the United Arab Emirates. I arrived a few days early, for dress rehearsals, long dinners, and meet-and-greets with various extended family members, and then Shawn showed up. He flew in, crushed it onstage, dropped research studies like he'd memorized all of Google Scholar, and immediately flew out. I was left thinking: Who was that masked man? Well, over the years we became friends, and he was kind enough to blurb '​The Happiness Equation​' after selling a million copies of his own wonderful book, '​The Happiness Advantage​'. And then ... where did he go? Shawn just sort of ... disappeared. I found out why in his new book, '​The Power of Beliefs​'. After his daughter Zoë was born three months early, spending 50 days in the NICU, Shawn decided to take a break—six years of no media, no international talks, no new books. Six years! But Shawn is still Shawn. An amiable son of an English teacher and a neuroscience professor, with multiple Harvard degrees, and a witty, research-centric writing style that is precise and uniquely compassionate. Tune in as we discuss Shawn's new book, his seven core beliefs (and their seven scars), the power of the placebo effect, what six years of "disappearing" taught him about parenting and living a more meaningful life, the psychology of awe, the cost of measuring your worth through comparison, and of course ... the brilliant Shawn Achor's 3 most formative books. Let's flip the page to Chapter 162 now...

Send us Fan MailIn this retrospective single-center study from Toronto, Adrianne and Nim explore the echo findings of preterm infants with septic shock and hypoxemic respiratory failure. Contrary to the common assumption that elevated pulmonary vascular resistance drives hypoxemia in sepsis, the data points to left ventricular dysfunction as a key contributor. Babies with hypoxemic respiratory failure showed lower LV systolic and diastolic performance, while pulmonary pressures were similar between groups. Mortality was significantly higher in the hypoxemic group. This challenges the reflex to reach for nitric oxide first and asks clinicians to look at the whole heart.----Cardiopulmonary Physiology of Hypoxemic Respiratory Failure Among Preterm Infants with Septic Shock. Kharrat A, Nissimov S, Zhu F, Deshpande P, Jain A.J Pediatr. 2025 Mar;278:114384. doi: 10.1016/j.jpeds.2024.114384. Epub 2024 Nov 6.PMID: 39510164Support the showAs always, feel free to send us questions, comments, or suggestions to our email: nicupodcast@gmail.com. You can also contact the show through Instagram or Twitter, @nicupodcast. Or contact Ben and Daphna directly via their Twitter profiles: @drnicu and @doctordaphnamd. The papers discussed in today's episode are listed and timestamped on the webpage linked below.Enjoy!

Today's episode is a really special one because Ali is sitting down with three of her favorite people in the world: Helen, Aaron, and Blake—the real-life family behind her “Work of ART” children's book, Beautiful Bird.If you've read the book, then you already know a little bit about Jack Bird, the incredible boy at the center of the story. And today, you're going to hear the real origin story. This is a conversation about love, friendship, family building, and creating a family that looks different than what many of us grew up seeing—but is every bit as beautiful. Helen always knew she wanted to be a mom, and as a solo mom by choice, she embarked on a journey to build her family with the help of her dear friend Aaron. At the time, Aaron was building a life with his partner, Blake, and together, the three of them created a beautiful, intentional village around Jack from the very beginning.Ali, Helen, Blake and Aaron talk about fertility treatments, donor conception, LGBTQ+ family building, and what it means to redefine family in a way that puts love, honesty, and a child's well-being first. They also talk about one of the most difficult chapters of their journey: Jack's unexpected 33-day stay in the NICU after he was born, and how that experience shaped all of them as parents and as a family. Most of all, this is a story about showing up for one another. It's about friendship becoming family, about creating your own blueprint, and about the many different ways people can build a loving home.Snag a copy of Beautiful Bird for just $15 here: https://www.infertileafgroup.com/booksEPISODE SPONSORS: THE WORK OF ART BOOK SERIESAli's Children's Book Series about IVF, IUI and Family Building Through Assisted Reproductive Technology https://www.infertileafgroup.com/booksThe 3-book bundle is now just $49 (normally $79)!The latest book in the Work of ART series, “You Are a Work of ART," is for every kiddo born through ART -- and the people who love them.PHERDALIG: @pherdal_sciencePherDal is the world's first and only FDA-cleared, sterile, at-home insemination kit designed to help people build their families in the comfort of home. Created by parents who've been there, PherDal is safe, simple, and affordable—putting more options in your hands as you grow your family. Explore at PherDal.com.Go to PherDal.com today and use code INFERTILEAF for $10 off.CARAWAYCaraway cookware is beautiful, first of all — like, actually gorgeous sitting on your stove — but it also makes cooking feel easier and less stressful.Visit carawayhome.com to take an additional 10% off your next purchase using code INFERTILEAF at checkout.Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy