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In this week’s episode, I’m joined by Bobbi Kline — a fellow BPD mom who just gets it.

We talk about the honest realities of raising boys with bronchopulmonary dysplasia, the kind of medical mom banter that doesn’t require explanation, and what it looks like now that our kids are growing up and doing better than we ever imagined. From sending them to preschool to learning how to let go a little after years of hospital living and 24/7 high alert, we reflect on what it means to find your footing again.

Bobbi shares her traumatic birth experience with severe preeclampsia that led to heart failure, the heartbreak of transferring her son Thomas far from her other children, and the uncertainty her family carried during that season. Thomas required a tracheostomy and ventilator to come home — and today, he almost needs neither.

We also dive into the gaps in care for children with severe BPD and tracheostomies, the lack of resources many families face, and the practical side of advocacy. Bobbi shares why educating yourself on your child’s diagnosis can be just as important as advocating in the room — and how that mindset helped shape Thomas’ outcome.

Bobbi is also the founder of T. Rex Little Lungs, a foundation based in Idaho that supports trach families both in the hospital and transitioning home. The organization connects families, fills critical care gaps, and provides financial assistance for essential equipment that insurance often won’t cover.

This episode is for the mom who is in the thick of it — wondering what the future might look like — and not realizing yet that she’s already making a positive impact.

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In this episode, I’m joined by NICU mom and advocate Essie Weiss, founder of The Cuddle Foundation—a nonprofit dedicated to ensuring NICU babies are held when families can’t always be at the bedside.

Essie shares how her own NICU experience inspired a mission to bring trained volunteer cuddlers into hospitals across the country. We talk about why physical touch and kangaroo care are so critical for NICU babies, including benefits like improved heart rate and breathing regulation, better oxygenation, reduced stress, brain development support, and improved growth and outcomes.

Essie also opens up about her daughter Elizabeth’s medical journey. After a short NICU stay, Elizabeth was diagnosed with a severe staph infection that led to osteomyelitis and multicystic encephalomalacia. Essie walks us through what those diagnoses meant, the challenges Elizabeth faced, and how finding the right support—particularly through the Family Hope Center—became a turning point in her development. Through therapy, education, and the power of neuroplasticity, Elizabeth began overcoming obstacles that once felt impossible.

This episode is a powerful conversation about advocacy, faith, healing through connection, and how one mom turned trauma into meaningful change for families everywhere.

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This episode is the most special one to me. And I'm happy to be back!!

You’ve heard pieces of our story throughout the last 21 episodes, but for the first time, I’m not helping someone else tell theirs..we’re telling ours. And for the first time, I’m bringing on our first dad: my husband, David!

Our son was born at 28 weeks due to complications from IUGR and was later diagnosed with very severe lung disease (BPD). He spent close to the first 2 years of his life in three different hospitals receiving lifesaving care. There were many moments we didn’t know how we would make it through as a family. Living in the hospital and the constant uncertainty felt endless…but we did it, one hard day at a time, and I’m really proud of us.

Today, Donny is 3 years old. He’s off his vent during all waking hours, and as of recording this episode, he’s starting to walk! Saying we’re grateful for where he is today is an understatement.

In this episode, David and I talk about IUGR, having a micropreemie, transferring hospitals, and explain why our son eventually needed a trach. We shared our earliest experiences stepping into this very unique type of parenthood together. The emotions we felt, the impossible decisions we made and what it was like living in constant uncertainty.

David is the best dad. He has always been loving, helpful, and very technical. He learned everything he could about our son’s diagnosis, asked the best questions, and always advocated. He understood when I was too emotionally exhausted to be at the hospital. I truly could not have gotten through this without him and he feels the same about me. We make a good team, and I hope parts of this episode help other families going through something similar.

We also share what we wish we had known then, what we would have done differently, and the frustrations we’ve faced within hospital systems.
People often tell us, “I don’t know how you got through that,” and we always say, “You just do what you have to do.” In this episode, we talk honestly about that and we also share some of the practical things we actually did to cope with the heavy days and impossible decisions.

I started The Trauma Mamas Podcast last year after having Donny home for a couple of months. During our hardest days, I desperately needed to hear from other parents who had lived through it and not necessarily perfect outcomes, but honest stories. I’m honored to now to be another voice for NICU families and parents raising medically complex children.

🎧 This episode is now available on all platforms.
Here’s to a new season!

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