NICU Now Episode 12: Home Sweet Home

01/25/17 • 35 min

Leaving the hospital after a NICU stay can feel like jumping off a cliff without a parachute. Parents no longer have the stability of doctors and nurses to rely on to meet our baby’s medical needs and answer questions about developmental milestones.

Joining us for a honest discussion about the emotional and physical challenges of caring for a medically fragile child at home is Kara Whalin. As a licensed therapist, as well as a parent who has experienced preterm birth and loss, Kara understands the challenges of a NICU stay on a personal and professional level.

Previous Episode

NICU Now Episode 11: The Healing Power of Music in the NICU

JJ Heller is a singer/songwriter from Nashville, TN. She writes songs for just about every season of life. Over the course of her nearly 14-year career, she has had two songs chart at number 13 on the billboard charts, Your Hands from her 2008 album Painted Red and What Love Really Means from her album When I'm with You. Her husband Dave co-writes, plays guitar, shoots and edits her videos, and manages her career. Together they are raising two beautiful little girls who often appear on her Instagram and Facebook feeds.

In 2014, JJ recorded I Dream of You, an album of lullabies and songs about motherhood. In 2016, JJ committed to donate one copy of the album for every album purchased. To date, JJ has donated almost 10,000 CDs and over 17,000 digital copies of I Dream of You to charity – including to Hand to Hold for NICU families.

Next Episode

NICU Now Episode 13: Love and Loss in the NICU

In this episode, licensed Marriage and Family Therapist Kara Wahlin, mother of twin boys born at 26 weeks gestation, joins Hand to Hold for an intimate discussion about our worst fears, the loss of a child and how we find a way to cope and eventually heal.