Silver Pyanov and Kellie Wicklund – Mental Health and NICU Families

Watch Silver and Kellie on the TODAY is a Good Day Podcast here.

On this episode, we discuss mental health for NICU families. This is an important topic that we should be discussing every day. Mental health is a significant issue for parents in the NICU.  If you are feeling the stress of the NICU, you are not alone. If you are currently navigating your own NICU journey, listen closely to our guests today as they talk about trauma as it relates to the NICU experience, along with the importance of self-care and recognizing signs of Postpartum depression. Joining us for this important conversation are: Kellie Wicklund, Licensed Psychotherapist and Owner/Clinical Director at the Maternal Wellness Center; and, Silver Pyanov, fellow NICU mom, doula, and childbirth educator.

On this episode you will hear:

- Kellie discusses the first challenge or issue NICU moms usually bring up regarding their struggles, and how Kellie helps them through that

- Silver had multiple NICU stays with her children, so she shares those journeys with us and talks about the biggest emotion she remembers feeling through each journey.

- Silver discusses how she worked through her NICU journeys

- Silver talks about when she experienced child loss and the emotions she felt

- Silver shares stories from her work with the many families she has helped over the years.

- Silver givers her biggest piece of advice for families navigating a pregnancy

- Kellie discusses some advice for families seeking help after a NICU stay

- We discuss the importance of self-care, and how each guest encourages parents to focus on self-care

- We talk about the desire to be with your baby every hour of every day and the guilt of not being there enough

- We discuss the stigma around accepting help, and our guests share their recommendations to families when they have people offering to take care of their kids at home, clean their homes, make meals, and offer to help

- Silver discusses detachment and ways that she has helped moms specifically to connect with their babies

- Kellie discusses helping fathers with mental health issues after a NICU stay