Empowering NICU Parents Podcast

About Empowering NICU Parents Podcast

Is your baby currently in the NICU? Was your baby born prematurely? Or is your term baby in the NICU for high jaundice levels, low blood sugars, or because they have some Respiratory Distress and need oxygen or additional support? Are you wondering what in the heck is a small baby unit or kangaroo care? Why do NICUs use donor breast milk and what on earth does RDS, BPD, IVH, NEC, ETT, CPAP, HFNC, UVC, UAC, po, ng, NEC, ABG, CBG, CBC, and CMP stand for? Are you asking yourself how will we ever get through this, what questions should I even ask, and when will my baby come home? If you are a NICU parent who is scared, nervous, unsure, and full of questions, then hit the subscribe button so you do not miss another show! Welcome to the "Empowering NICU Parents Podcast" where we will answer ALL of these questions and SO MUCH more! Your host, Nicole Nyberg is a Neonatal Nurse Practitioner with years of NICU experience - but she also brings her unique perspective to this podcast as a mother of a 23-weeker. Along with sharing answers to the NICU medical questions you have, Nicole addresses and supports you through the incredibly difficult emotional struggles that only a NICU parent can understand. She provides you with knowledge plus tangible tips to guide, educate, empower, and support you through your baby's NICU journey and once they are home. Tune in to hear from someone who knows exactly what you're going through, another NICU Mama. Check out all of our show notes and additional information at empoweringnicuparents.com

Publisher

Nicole E Nyberg

Category

health & fitness · health & fitness · kids & family

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

1 Feb 2021

Latest episode

1 Oct 2026

Latest episodes

83 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   1 Oct 2026

   Two Things Can Be True: The Beautiful, Bittersweet Reality of Life In and Beyond the NICU

   What if you could be overwhelmingly grateful for your child's life and still feel angry about what you went through? What if you could love caring for NICU babies and their families but admit that some days leave you completely exhausted?And what if the emotions we rarely talk about are the very ones so many of us share? In this special NICU Awareness Month episode, Nicole gets personal, sharing her perspective as both a Neonatal Nurse Practitioner and the mom of a former 23-week preemie who is now twelve years old. From the unexpected emotions that surface years after leaving the NICU to the complicated realities of parental presence, the bittersweet experience of discharge, and the emotional demands of caring for our tiniest patients, this episode explores the things NICU parents and clinicians often feel but don't always say out loud. And for the friends and family members of NICU parents, there's an especially important message: A happy ending doesn't erase a difficult beginning. Whether you're currently navigating the NICU, reflecting on an experience from years ago, caring for NICU families, or simply trying to better understand someone you love, this is a conversation you won't want to miss.Because sometimes, the greatest gift we can give someone is understanding that two things can be true at the same time. 💚 Dr. Brown’s Medical: https://www.drbrownsmedical.com (https://www.drbrownsmedical.com/)   The Infant-Driven Feeding™ (IDF) Program: https://www.infantdrivenfeeding.com/ (https://www.infantdrivenfeeding.com/) Our NICU Roadmap: A Comprehensive NICU Journal: https://empoweringnicuparents.com/nicujournal/ (https://empoweringnicuparents.com/nicujournal/) NICU Mama Hats: https://empoweringnicuparents.com/hats/ (https://empoweringnicuparents.com/hats/) NICU Milestone Cards: https://empoweringnicuparents.com/nicuproducts/ (https://empoweringnicuparents.com/nicuproducts/) Newborn Holiday Cards: https://empoweringnicuparents.com/shop/ (https://empoweringnicuparents.com/shop/) Empowering NICU Parents Show Notes: https://empoweringnicuparents.com/shownotes/ (https://empoweringnicuparents.com/shownotes/) Episode 83 Show Notes: https://empoweringnicuparents.com/episode83 (https://empoweringnicuparents.com/episode71) Empowering NICU Parents Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/empoweringnicuparents/ (https://www.instagram.com/empoweringnicuparents/) Empowering NICU Parents FB Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/empoweringnicuparents (https://www.facebook.com/groups/empoweringnicuparents) Pinterest Page: https://pin.it/36MJjmH (https://pin.it/36MJjmH) Thank you for listening to the Empowering NICU Parents Podcast. Be sure to subscribe and leave us a review—it helps other families find us. We’re grateful to be part of this incredible community. Visit www.empoweringnicuparents.com for resources and support.

2. 

   23 Jul 2026

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

   What if one of the greatest gifts we can give a baby in the NICU isn't something we give to the baby at all—but something we give to their parents? In this episode of the Empowering NICU Parents Podcast, host Nicole Nyberg, MSN, APRN, NNP-BC, is joined by Lisa Kleinz, MA, CCC-SLP, Director of Education at Dr. Brown's Medical, and former NICU parent Liz Barker for an inspiring conversation about the Infant-Driven Feeding® (IDF) Program and how it transforms the NICU experience for babies, families, and care teams. While feeding is at the center of the discussion, this episode is about so much more than breastfeeding or bottles. Lisa explains how the Infant-Driven Feeding® Program is an evidence-based, family-centered developmental care approach that teaches parents and clinicians to recognize and respond to each baby's unique cues, creating positive feeding experiences while promoting safer feeding practices, stronger parent-infant relationships, and improved outcomes. Liz shares the remarkable story of her daughter, Lucy, who was born at just 28 weeks' gestation. She candidly discusses the fear, guilt, and uncertainty she experienced as a NICU parent, and how one nurse's intentional teaching—supported by a family-centered unit culture—helped her move from feeling like an observer to becoming an active, confident caregiver. By learning Lucy's cues, participating in her care from the very beginning, and focusing on positive feeding experiences rather than volume alone, Liz not only gained confidence as a parent but also went on to exclusively breastfeed Lucy after her discharge from the NICU until she was two years old. Together, Nicole, Lisa, and Liz explore why intentionally educating and including parents from day one is one of the most powerful interventions in neonatal care—and why empowering parents ultimately benefits babies for a lifetime. In this episode, you'll learn: • Why the Infant-Driven Feeding® Program is about much more than feeding • How cue-based, developmental care creates safer feeding experiences • The importance of intentionally educating and empowering NICU parents • Why a shared Infant-Driven Feeding® Program language creates consistency, trust, and parent confidence • Why positive feeding experiences matter more than volume alone • The evidence behind family-centered, cue-based feeding—including improved breastfeeding outcomes, greater parent confidence, and positive developmental outcomes • One family's inspiring journey from uncertainty to confidence This episode is sponsored by Dr. Brown's Medical, whose Infant-Driven Feeding® Program is helping NICUs create positive feeding experiences by partnering with families, following each baby's cues, and supporting evidence-based, family-centered developmental care from hospital to home. Dr. Brown’s Medical: https://www.drbrownsmedical.com (https://www.drbrownsmedical.com/) The Infant-Driven Feeding™ (IDF) Program: https://www.infantdrivenfeeding.com/ (https://www.infantdrivenfeeding.com/) Our NICU Roadmap: A Comprehensive NICU Journal: https://empoweringnicuparents.com/nicujournal/ (https://empoweringnicuparents.com/nicujournal/) NICU Mama Hats: https://empoweringnicuparents.com/hats/ (https://empoweringnicuparents.com/hats/) NICU Milestone Cards: https://empoweringnicuparents.com/nicuproducts/ (https://empoweringnicuparents.com/nicuproducts/) Newborn Holiday Cards: https://empoweringnicuparents.com/shop/ (https://empoweringnicuparents.com/shop/) <br...

3. 

   30 Jun 2026

   The Presence Study Toolkit: Helping NICUs Translate Evidence into Practice

   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. 🎧 Download the free Presence Study Toolkit on the Family-Centered Care Task Force website using the link in the show notes, and join us in helping create a future where every NICU family is informed, involved, and supported. Dr. Brown’s Medical: https://www.drbrownsmedical.com (https://www.drbrownsmedical.com/) The Infant-Driven Feeding™ (IDF) Program: https://www.infantdrivenfeeding.com/ (https://www.infantdrivenfeeding.com/) Our NICU Roadmap: A Comprehensive NICU Journal: https://empoweringnicuparents.com/nicujournal/ (https://empoweringnicuparents.com/nicujournal/) NICU Mama Hats: https://empoweringnicuparents.com/hats/ (https://empoweringnicuparents.com/hats/) NICU Milestone Cards: https://empoweringnicuparents.com/nicuproducts/ (https://empoweringnicuparents.com/nicuproducts/) Newborn Holiday Cards: https://empoweringnicuparents.com/shop/ (https://empoweringnicuparents.com/shop/) Empowering NICU Parents Show Notes: https://empoweringnicuparents.com/shownotes/ (https://empoweringnicuparents.com/shownotes/) Episode 81 Show Notes: https://empoweringnicuparents.com/episode81 (https://empoweringnicuparents.com/episode71) Empowering NICU Parents Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/empoweringnicuparents/ (https://www.instagram.com/empoweringnicuparents/) Empowering NICU Parents FB Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/empoweringnicuparents (https://www.facebook.com/groups/empoweringnicuparents) Pinterest Page: <a href="https://pin.it/36MJjmH" target="_blank"...

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

YouTube views

172

Score snapshot 15 Sept 2025

Apple Podcasts (US)

5.0 / 5

18 ratings

Spotify

5.0 / 5

4 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 72 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

84

Social presence

0

YouTube

64

Engagement

85

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Guest appearances

Books guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.