Lesson 12: Finding Your Pace in the Holiday Season
The holidays arrive each year with their familiar rhythm—twinkling lights, cheerful music, endless to-do lists. But when your family is navigating the NICU, supporting a young adult through a mental health crisis, or simply recovering from a year that asked more of you than you thought you could give, this season can feel overwhelming rather than magical.
This year, I invite you to consider a different approach: one that honors where you are right now, not where you think you should be.
Lesson 11: Grief-What No One Tells You About Life After the NICU
Life after NICU discharge brings unexpected challenges. NICU parents often experience PTSD after bringing baby home, miss the nurses who became family, and struggle with the silence after months of monitors. Learn what to expect during NICU graduation and how to cope with the post-NICU transition.
Lesson 10 Grief: Change Is the Only Constant
Excerpt from Grief: Change is the Only Constant
When I started Prepare To Bloom, I thrived on adaptability—tweaking services, shifting directions, staying nimble to meet families where they were. But then came my daughter Charli, a medically complex toddler who turned my love of change into a full-time lifestyle.
Therapy cancellations, provider pivots, nanny gaps, and unconfirmed appointments are now regular plot twists. And through it all, I’ve watched Charli learn flexibility by living it. She sees us adjust and mirrors that resilience.
Grief shows up in these moments—not always loud, but persistent. We grieve the day that unraveled, the plan that didn’t pan out, the support we thought would last. But alongside that grief lives growth.
The magic is in learning to bend—creating routines with wiggle room, building backup plans, and celebrating both the loss and the gain. Whether you’re parenting through the unknown or professionally guiding others, this truth holds: Change isn’t the enemy. Rigidity is.
Let’s learn to flex, together.
Lesson 9 Grief: The Myth of Balance
The Myth of Balance” dismantles the idea that parents can keep every life-plate spinning at once. Drawing on Dave Hollis’s rhythm metaphor, Tiffany Dufu’s Drop the Ball, and my own NICU journey with Charli, the article shows how each “yes” contains a “no” and why the resulting grief is normal—not failure. Readers get five gentle reframes (season mapping, drop-the-ball lists, value-based scheduling, micro-moments, weekly resets) plus an invitation to share how they’re learning to live unbalanced but intentional lives.
Lesson 8: I’m Now “That” Mom
If you’ve ever wrestled with vulnerability, boundaries, and belonging, this story will remind you that being “that” parent isn’t a label to hide from; it’s a bridge to deeper community and courageous conversations.
Lesson 7: Showing Up Grounded
Grounded parents become a steady heartbeat for their children—whether in a bustling NICU or during big life decisions at home. In this new Lessons from the NICU post, I share how a simple loving-kindness ritual helped me navigate Charli’s unexpected COVID scare before surgery—and offer five quick grounding tools you can start using today.
Lesson 6:The Frustrations of Communication
Struggling to feel heard—or to truly hear the ones you love?
In Communication in all its messy glory, we explore the emotional challenges of communicating across all stages of life. From toddler tantrums and teenage slang to misfires in adult relationships, this heartfelt piece offers practical tools, personal insights, and a reminder that connection matters more than perfection.
Lessons 5: Grief and Loss in Parenting
Parenting comes with immense joy but also unexpected grief—the loss of dreams we once held for our children. In Lessons from the NICU: Grief and Loss in Parenting, I reflect on our family’s journey with Charli in the NICU and the parallels to parenting older children whose paths may differ from our hopes. This piece explores how we can honor our grief while embracing the beauty of the present, finding joy in the journey, even when it takes an unexpected turn.
Lesson 4:Growth Looks Messy Before It’s Beautiful
Growth often looks like regression—whether it’s a baby waking up all night or a teenager struggling through relationships. But what if these challenging moments aren’t setbacks, but signs of progress? In this post, we explore the parallels between sleep regressions and the messy middle of growth at any stage of life. With the metaphor of a caterpillar transforming into a butterfly, we’re reminded that change takes time, love, and patience—both for our children and ourselves. If you're in the thick of a tough season, this is your reminder to give yourself and your child grace. This isn’t regression—it’s growth in disguise.
Lesson 3: Resilience and Adapting to Change
Parenting is a journey filled with challenges, and few experiences prepare you for resilience and adaptability quite like having a baby in the NICU. As a NICU mom and a therapeutic placement specialist, I’ve discovered that the lessons learned during those intense, emotional days—navigating uncertainty, advocating for your child, and focusing on what truly matters—are the same skills that equip parents to raise thriving teens and young adults. This article explores how those early parenting experiences provide a foundation for guiding your child through the twists and turns of adolescence and beyond.
Lessons from the NICU: Advocating When Something Isn’t Right
Advocating when something doesn’t sit well.
Little Steps, Big Changes
By taking small intentional steps forward big changes can be made.