NICU Dads Discussions Episode 9: Henry Medrano

This podcast was recorded live at Hand to Hold's 2021 NICU Community Conference. To learn more or register for Hand to Hold's 2022 NICU Community conference, visit handtohold.org/conference. 

Panel presenter Dr. Singley is a San Diego-based board-certified psychologist and Director of The Center for Men’s
Excellence. His research and practice focus on men’s mental health with a particular emphasis on reproductive psychology and the transition to fatherhood.  
This panel discussion will begin with a brief overview of key research on factors that impact the mental health of fathers of babies in the NICU. The presenter will facilitate a panel of fathers who have experienced being parents in the NICU so as to hear their stories about support and barriers.

Guests include Andrew Shaw, creator of Instafather and author, and Alex Zavala, founder of http://thenicudad.com/

In this episode, Steve shares his son, Liam's, NICU journey with host David Winsman. Prioritizing self-care helped both Steve and his wife grieve and honor their son in heaven. Steve shares how he has changed since Liam's NICU journey and gives advice to other NICU parents. 

In this episode, Steve mentions his wife, Kelly's business. Shop Kelly's business here. 

NICU dad and author Adam Wood shares his NICU story of his son's delivery at just 25 weeks, the feelings of guilt and failure he felt in not being able to protect his wife and child, and how he's bringing NICU parents together with his book, My Preemie Adventures.

NICU dad Fabian Tejedor shares his story of having a micro preemie daughter in 2002, the anxiety of his wife's high-risk pregnancy after loss, and how he and his wife have learned to adjust their expectations at each stage of their daughter's life, from birth to the teen years. 

Henry and Alex discuss his experience of his wife being on bedrest then giving birth to their twins in the NICU. They also speak about how having a micropreemie changed Henry's outlook of being in the NICU. Henry describes how he navigated his NICU experience and the challenges facing his sons during the NICU stay and after.

Jeff discusses the sudden birth of his triplets and the journey that followed, with one of his babies having to be in another NICU. He also gives advice to other NICU dads out there on how to cope with the pressure and stress of a long NICU stay.

Chris discusses the early birth of his son, Beckett, and the seven-month NICU stay that followed. He also talks about enduring the ups and downs of that NICU stay that ultimately ended with the death of his son and the intense grief that followed. He discusses how blogging about his experience and eventually writing a book helped him cope with the situation.

Mike speaks about the unexpected early birth of his son Jackson at 24 weeks. He also discusses his journey of becoming familiar with the NICU and bonding with his son, as well as the lasting effects of a NICU stay, including anxiety and PTSD, and the continued therapies families usually face after going home from the NICU.

Erik shares his story of he and his wife, Monica, getting pregnant with twins. He discusses the emotion surrounding Monica going into premature labor and losing one of their twins during labor. He talks about the surviving twin’s NICU journey and how he and his wife dealt with their loss and NICU journey