The Incubator #258 - "Not Visitors" - Redefining Parenthood in the NICU with Fabiana Bacchini
In this episode of The Incubator Podcast, Ben and Daphna host Fabiana Bacchini, Executive Director of the Canadian Premature Babies Foundation (CPBF) and author of From Surviving to Thriving: A Mother's Journey Through Infertility, Loss, and Miracles. Fabiana shares her deeply personal journey of becoming an advocate for premature babies and their families after spending five months in the NICU with her son, Gabriel. Her transformative experience with family-integrated care inspired her mission to ensure parents are empowered to play an active role in their baby’s care.
Fabiana highlights the vital importance of parent involvement in the NICU, discussing how the CPBF provides education, support, and advocacy for families. She shares the foundation's initiatives, including their global educational platform, "Preemie Chats," and the recent launch of a research engagement platform to connect parents and researchers.
The conversation delves into the cultural and systemic challenges of engaging parents, from NICU policies labeling parents as visitors to addressing barriers like parental leave. Fabiana passionately advocates for recognizing parents as partners in care, emphasizing that empowering families not only benefits babies’ outcomes but also strengthens long-term parental confidence.
This episode is a must-listen for anyone committed to improving neonatal care, as Fabiana’s insights and advocacy provide an inspiring call to action.
As always, feel free to send us questions, comments, or suggestions to our email: nicupodcast@gmail.com. You can also contact the show through Instagram or Twitter, @nicupodcast. Or contact Ben and Daphna directly via their Twitter profiles: @drnicu and @doctordaphnamd. The papers discussed in today's episode are listed and timestamped on the webpage linked below.
Enjoy!