Birth can be many things: incredible, traumatic, beautiful, scary, empowering or all of them. Birth and postpartum nurse Lo Mansfield will talk about bringing intuition, grace and evidence into the birth experience.
In this episode, we chat about:
Why nursing, specifically why labor and delivery?
On your social media channels you talk about balancing intuition, grace + evidence. What do you mean by that?
You sometimes mention the loss of your own mom while you were pregnant. Many of our NICU parents listening are experiencing grief as they mourn the loss of a "normal" delivery or baby. How did/do you work through that grief?
What's the best way to communicate to your doctor and L&D nurses your desires for your baby's birth?
If you are designated as high-risk prior to delivery, what are things that may change your delivery?
Some moms may feel distant from their NICU baby due to separation at birth, is that normal? If so, what are your suggestions for working through that?
What's the best thing a laboring mom can do to ensure the best possible birth outcome for her baby?
What's your best advice to a laboring mom?
Lo Mansfield MSN, RNC-OB, is a specialty-certified registered nurse in obstetrics, postpartum, and fetal monitoring who is passionate about families understanding their integral role in their own stories. She is tired of you being told what to do or what is “best” - and instead believes you should get all the information and then be supported and cheered for as you make up your own mind. She is the owner of The Labor Mama and the creator of the Your Body, Your Birth courses. She is also a mama of three (6, 4, and 2), a wife to Kelvin, a freelance writer, and a mashed potato enthusiast.
Connect with Lo:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thelabormama/
Facebook: www.facebook.com/thelabormama
Twitter: https://twitter.com/thelabormama
Website: https://thelabormama.com/
The NICU is hard. We’re here to help.
Hand to Hold is a national nonprofit dedicated to providing neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) parents with personalized emotional support, educational resources and community before, during and after their baby’s NICU stay. NICU support is available at no cost to NICU parents in English and Spanish.
Connect with Hand to Hold:
Learn more or get support at handtohold.org
Follow Hand to Hold on social media:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/handtohold
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/handtohold/
Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/NICUHandtoHold
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/HandtoHold
The following music was used for this media project:
Music: Thriving Together [Full version] by MusicLFiles
Free download: https://filmmusic.io/song/10332-thriving-together-full-version
License (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
Music: Bright Colors Of Life by MusicLFiles
Free download: https://filmmusic.io/song/7855-bright-colors-of-life
License (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
Your baby knows your voice from the beginning! Dr. Jenny Koo, neonatologist and children’s author, shares why reading is important and her latest project, aimed at NICU siblings.
In this episode, we chat about:
This is Dr. Koo's fourth children's book, but her first about the NICU. What prompted her to write the book?
Where did she find the time to write a book as a doctor and new mom?
What are some of the analogies she uses in the book to explain the complicated world of the NICU to younger children?
Of all the medical specialities she could've chosen, why neonatology?
How has motherhood changed her outlook on parenting and interacting with parents of NICU babies?
We know that reading to young children is important, how can a parent utilize books in the NICU with his/her baby?
What are some of your favorite children's authors and books for your own family?
Dr. Jenny Koo is a board-certified neonatologist affiliated with Sharp Mary Birch Hospital for Women & Newborns in San Diego, CA. Dr. Koo’s interest lies in cardiovascular health of newborns, and she is a part of the Sharp Mary Birch Neonatal Research Institute. Dr. Koo is passionate about family centered care and ensuring that the entire family unit – not solely the neonate – is cared for and supported throughout their NICU journey. As a hobby, Dr. Koo enjoys drawing and has authored four children's books.
Connect with Dr. Koo:
Buy Dr. Koo’s other children’s books:
Hamilton & Eleanor’s Adventures
The Little Giraffe Foundation:
The foundation that funded Dr. Koo’s book aimed at NICU siblings for patients of Sharp Mary Birch Hospital for Women & Newborns
The NICU is hard. We’re here to help.
Hand to Hold is a national nonprofit dedicated to providing neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) parents with personalized emotional support, educational resources and community before, during and after their baby’s NICU stay. NICU support is available at no cost to NICU parents in English and Spanish.
Connect with Hand to Hold:
Learn more or get support at handtohold.org
Follow Hand to Hold on social media:
Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | YouTube
The following music was used for this media project:
Music: Thriving Together [Full version] by MusicLFiles
Free download: https://filmmusic.io/song/10332-thriving-together-full-version
License (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
Music: Bright Colors Of Life by MusicLFiles
Free download: https://filmmusic.io/song/7855-bright-colors-of-life
License (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
Diet and nutrition are top priorities in helping your baby grow and thrive in the NICU. Registered dietitian Keli Hawthorne shares how you can play a pivotal role in your baby's daily nutrition.
In this episode, we chat about:
Keli Hawthorne, MS, RD is a Registered Dietitian and the Director for Clinical Research for the Department of Pediatrics at the Dell Medical School at the University of Texas at Austin. Prior to UT, Keli worked as a NICU dietitian and researcher for over 15 years. Her research background focuses on neonatal and pediatric nutrition including mineral absorption, intestinal failure, and human milk fortification for premature infants. Keli was a leader in the national efforts to obtain FDA approval for intravenous omega-3 fatty acid lipid emulsions for infants and children in the US with severe liver damage. She was honored with the Texas Distinguished Scientist Award from the Texas Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics and is a past recipient of the Emerging Dietetic Leader award and Recognized Young Dietitian of the Year. When Keli is not in Austin, she can be found at her nearby cattle ranch.
Connect with Keli:
Instagram | Facebook | Website
The NICU is hard. We’re here to help.
Hand to Hold is a national nonprofit dedicated to providing neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) parents with personalized emotional support, educational resources and community before, during and after their baby’s NICU stay. NICU support is available at no cost to NICU parents in English and Spanish.
Connect with Hand to Hold:
Learn more or get support at handtohold.org
Follow Hand to Hold on social media:
Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | YouTube
The following music was used for this media project:
Music: Thriving Together [Full version] by MusicLFiles
Free download: https://filmmusic.io/song/10332-thriving-together-full-version
License (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
Music: Bright Colors Of Life by MusicLFiles
Free download: https://filmmusic.io/song/7855-bright-colors-of-life
License (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
It’s one thing to receive a diagnosis and a whole other to live it. NICU mom Katrina Moline shares how cerebral palsy has, and has not, affected their daily life.
In this episode, we chat about:
What is Cerebral Palsy (CP)?
For children/babies who have CP what are some of the symptoms, developmental challenges?
When you learned of the diagnosis, what did you do?
How has CP affected your daily family life? What has been the hardest adjustment?
How have you grown in the last 13 years since Bryce was diagnosed?
What's your favorite service that Hand to Hold offers parents and caregivers?
What’s your best advice to a mom, dad or caregiver whose child has just received a CP diagnosis?
Katrina Moline is the Hand to Hold Operations Director. She earned a bachelor’s degree in communications from Texas State University. Katrina has been a part of the Hand to Hold family since 2009, receiving peer-to-peer mentoring after the birth of her son at 24 weeks and later serving as a peer mentor herself. She is grateful for the opportunity to focus her time and talents on a mission so near and dear to her heart. Katrina, her husband Caleb and their two sons live in Austin, Texas.
Connect with Katrina:
The NICU is hard. We’re here to help.
Hand to Hold is a national nonprofit dedicated to providing neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) parents with personalized emotional support, educational resources and community before, during and after their baby’s NICU stay. NICU support is available at no cost to NICU parents in English and Spanish.
Connect with Hand to Hold:
Learn more or get support at handtohold.org
Follow Hand to Hold on social media:
Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | YouTube
The following music was used for this media project:
Music: Thriving Together [Full version] by MusicLFiles
Free download: https://filmmusic.io/song/10332-thriving-together-full-version
License (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
Music: Bright Colors Of Life by MusicLFiles
Free download: https://filmmusic.io/song/7855-bright-colors-of-life
License (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
No high risk pregnancy is the same. Dr. Summers joins me for a conversation about mitigating the risks, working with your OB/GYN and questions to ask.
In this episode, we chat about:
What defines a high-risk pregnancy and what places a woman in that category?
If you have some of those risks, what should you look for in an OB/GYN to give you proper care and attention?
What are some things women can do to mitigate the risks of a high-risk pregnancy?
When should a women consider meds, therapy (or both) during or after a high-risk pregnancy?
What are the delivery options for pregnancies that are considered high-risk?
How can a woman improve the communication between her regular OB and her maternal fetal medicine (MFM) doctor?
What’s the best advice for a high-risk mama?
Dr. Jenny Summers is a Texan born and raised, who loves working with women throughout every stage in life in women’s health. She is a longhorn and a former child life specialist, who completed her medical school at UT Health Science Center in San Antonio and her residency training at UT Southwestern, serving as chief resident during her fourth year. She has completed a gynecologic advanced pelvic and robotic fellowship. She currently serves as a clinical assistant professor at The University of Texas Dell Medical School and has been awarded a Rising Star as one of Texas Monthly’s Super Doctors for the past 4 years.
Connect with Dr. Summers:
The NICU is hard. We’re here to help.
Hand to Hold is a national nonprofit dedicated to providing neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) parents with personalized emotional support, educational resources and community before, during and after their baby’s NICU stay. NICU support is available at no cost to NICU parents in English and Spanish.
Connect with Hand to Hold:
Learn more or get support at handtohold.org
Follow Hand to Hold on social media:
Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | YouTube
The following music was used for this media project:
Music: Thriving Together [Full version] by MusicLFiles
Free download: https://filmmusic.io/song/10332-thriving-together-full-version
License (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
Music: Bright Colors Of Life by MusicLFiles
Free download: https://filmmusic.io/song/7855-bright-colors-of-life
License (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standard-license