Preparing For The NICU
Did you know 10-15% of babies end up in the NICU for some amount of time for a variety of reasons?
During Jessica’s interview with Hollis Wakefield, NICU Doula, Hollis shares her experience both as a parent of a NICU baby and her work supporting other families through the NICU. Jessica gets answers to all sorts of questions including whether rest is really possible for a parent with a little in the NICU, whether folks with babies born prematurely produce milk, and how to best access information regarding your baby’s condition and care while in the NICU.
Watch our recording above to learn more about all of the above, as well as:
What are common reasons a baby would need to go to the NICU?
Ways that parents can prepare for the NICU?
How can parents advocate for themselves and their baby in the NICU?
To learn more about working with a NICU doula, contact Hollis. To learn more about working with a PT to support your postpartum recovery, call us at 512-766-2649 or contact us here.
By Dr. Jessica Chastka, PT, DPT, WCS
Jessica (she/her) earned her Bachelor’s in Exercise Science from the University of Louisiana at Monroe, while playing softball. She received a Doctorate in Physical Therapy from University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston in August 2015. In 2019 she became Board Certified in Women’s Health, through the American Board of Physical Therapy Specialists.
For the last five years she has been working as a pelvic floor physical therapist, treating people who have pelvic pain, leakage, urgency, frequency and constipation. This includes the pregnant and postpartum population as well as people with chronic pain. She is passionate about making her patients feel heard and seen, validating those who feel that their problems are not worth mentioning because everyone has them or because embarrassed to talk about them.