Embrace at The Kids Research Institute Australia recently hosted creator of the Dads of the NICU podcast Matt Bialkowski as he recorded a new season at Perth Children’s Hospital.
Through a Research Award provided to Senior Research Fellow Dr Vincent Mancini, Matt interviewed dads with lived experience of the NICU and clinicians who provide care to these families.
Launched on World Prematurity Day, guests of the 16-episode series included parents such as Joanne and Scott, who used their experience to establish the charity Helping Little Hands.
LISTEN TO THE MOST RECENT EPISODES BELOW:
S2E11: Mia Cahill - From NICU Baby & Gastroschisis Survivor to Researcher Sometimes, the most powerful research doesn’t start in a lab — it begins through lived experience.Today, we meet Mia Cahill, whose journey into the research space started in a deeply personal way.
Feb 03
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31 min 50 sec
S2E10: Wayne Ratajczak - The importance of kangaroo care and connecting with other Dads In today’s episode, we meet Wayne Ratajczak — a then first-time dad whose daughter Emily spent 12 weeks in the NICU. For Wayne, skin-to-skin care wasn’t just bonding time; it became a vital part of Emily’s development and his connection with her. The more he held her, the more he saw how important that closeness was and how stable she became.
Jan 29
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39 min 0 sec
S2E9: Michael Winwood - Healthy Habits as a NICU Dad Today, we talk about why routine matters.Why healthy habits matter, and how easy it is to slip into bad patterns when everything feels out of control.In this episode, I speak with Michael Winwood, a dad who had two weeks’ notice that something wasn’t right — just enough time to feel the fear, but not enough time to prepare for what was coming.
Jan 25
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23 min 9 sec
S2E8: Megan Norbury - Two-time NICU Mum and Miracle Babies Facilitator We start this episode with a Trigger warning, as there are discussions of loss and miscarriage. Today, we meet two-time NICU mum, Megan Norbury — a proud NICU parent who has turned her lived experience into a mission to support other families on their own NICU journeys.With a background in early childhood education, Megan knows first-hand the feelings of isolation that can come with life in the NICU. Those experiences sparked her passion to help others, leading her to join Miracle Babies Foundation as a facilitator and Team Leader of Nurture Time and Nurture Groups. FB & IG: @Miraclebabiesfoundation
Jan 21
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25 min 32 sec
S2E7: Scott & Joanne Beedie - Loss, Courage and Helping Little Hands TRIGGER WARNING: Today’s conversation contains discussions of infant loss.In this very special episode, we’ll be joined by Joanne and Scott Beedie— two truly remarkable parents who open up and share the deeply personal story of losing one of their twins to Twin-to-Twin Transfusion Syndrome.This conversation is incredibly raw and emotional, as we explore what it means to balance hope and heartbreak, and how they navigated the NICU journey together while staying connected as a couple. IG: @helpinglittlehands_australiaFB: @helpinglittlehandsAustraliaLi: @helping little hands
Jan 19
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54 min 21 sec
S2E6: Clare Dimer - Social Workers in the NICU Joining us today is Clare Dimer, a Senior Social Worker, who shares how families can celebrate the little wins, milestones, and precious moments — by getting hands-on in their baby’s care and journaling each step along the way.Clare also walks us through the signs social workers look for when a parent might need extra help — from the subtle cues that surface after a triggering event, to the emotional shift many families experience around the 8 to 10-week mark in the NICU journey.
Jan 15
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37 min 9 sec
S2E5: Fiona Mann - Clinical Psychology in the NICU Today, we’re joined by Clinical Psychologist Fiona Mann, who reminds dads just how important their presence and involvement really is along the NICU journey. Fiona takes us inside the NICU experience from a father’s mental health perspective — unpacking what those critical first 48 hours can feel like, when and how to ask for support, and the very normal fears that surface both beside the incubator and once families head home.
Jan 12
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35 min 46 sec
S2E4: Connor McGoverne - Gastroschisis and NICU Life Meet Connor McGoverne and hear about his amazing son, Finley. Connor is a political reporter and TV journalist who’s used to asking all the tough questions, but when he learns his unborn son has been diagnosed with a very rare condition, the story becomes very complex.
Jan 07
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36 min 58 sec
S2E3: Daniel Dyer-Smith - 1 Year as a NICU Dad Today, we chat with Daniel Dyer-Smith, who walks us through the shock of being on a beach one minute, then 60min later having a son at 30 weeks. As a Lawyer, skilled in articulating precise messages and information, Daniel found it very difficult to find the right words to describe to friends and family what had transpired, and what help he and his partner needed in the first few weeks.Daniel's insights will help shape the NICU Dads project at The Kids, and the pearls of wisdom he shared focused on the message to "advocate and communicate", both internally within your immediate family and the NICU, and externally with your wider family and friendship group.
Dec 28
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39 min 47 sec
S2E2: Kabe Redfern - Two-time NICU Dad & Advocate In today's episode, we hear from two-time NICU Dad, Kabe Redfern. Kabe walks us through the difficulties in processing the first 24 hours of NICU life, as well as the thoughts of trying again for a second child following such a traumatic first experience. Kabe has continued his passion for helping others, and now champions support for NICU Dad's as a member of several advisory boards, advisory groups, as well as being a Consumer Academic at The Kids Research Institute Australia - a far cry from his normal 9-5 career in emergency services.
Dec 22
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1 h 6 min
First published Thursday 22 January 2026.
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