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:
S2E14: Tobias Strunk - A Neonatologist's Perspective What is a Neonatologist? I hear many people say this in their first few hours and days in the NIUC. Well, today we learn all about it by chatting with Clinical Professor and Neonatologist, Tobias Strunk. Tobias explains how he leads and shapes the care of fragile, premature and critically unwell babies in the NICU.
Feb 13, 2026
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34 min 13 sec
S2E13: James Sta-Maria - NICU Dads Building Friendships and Communities Today, we’re joined by NICU Dad James Sta-Maria.James explores the power of community built through shared experience — the kind that only comes from walking the NICU journey together. Four years on, he’s still in contact with other dads, still sharing stories, still reflecting on those intense early days, as bonds forged through trauma don’t fade - they last.
Feb 09, 2026
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51 min 25 sec
S2E12: Tony Rush - 30 Years of NICU Dads Experience and Knowledge If you’re a NICU dad — or you are supporting one — this episode is absolutely for you. Today we’re joined by Tony Rush — a Senior Neonatal Nurse and Clinical Nurse Manager who’s been in the NICU since 1990. After starting out as a psychiatric nurse, Tony has spent decades helping families navigate some of the hardest moments of their lives. Across thousands of NICU admissions, he’s gained rare insight into the lived experience of dads — and he’s seen that role change dramatically.
Feb 06, 2026
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42 min 39 sec
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. Born in Ireland with gastroschisis, she grew up understanding what it means to fight for a start in life. That experience shaped not only who she became, but how she now connects with other families walking a similar path.
Feb 03, 2026
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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. Inside the NICU, Wayne took on everything he could and did as much of Emily’s cares as he could.
Jan 29, 2026
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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.While his baby was in the NICU, Michael was also juggling life with a two-year-old at home.
Jan 25, 2026
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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, 2026
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25 min 32 sec
S2E7: Scott & Joanne Beedie - Loss, Courage and Helping Little Hands TRIGGER WARNINGToday’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. We’ll also talk about the vital role of social worker support and the strength that comes from leaning on each other through every challenge.But this story isn’t only about loss — it’s also about love, resilience, and purpose. Out of their experience, Joanne and Scott went on to create an incredible charity in Western Australia called Helping Little Hands, dedicated to supporting NICU families across the state.You’ll hear about the amazing work this organisation is doing for families just like theirs — and stick around till the end, because we have a very special guest joining us to round out this heartfelt episode.So take a deep breath, settle in, and let’s begin.IG: @helpinglittlehands_australiaFB: @helpinglittlehandsAustraliaLi: @helping little hands
Jan 19, 2026
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54 min 21 sec
S2E6: Clare Dimer - Social Workers in the NICU In our last episode, we explored the world of psychology — and today, we’re taking the next step into social work, uncovering the vital role social workers play in the NICU, and trying to remove the stigma that surrounds social work. Social workers are often the one constant presence for parents during their NICU journey — a steady voice through some of the toughest and most emotional days. In some hospitals, they’re automatically referred when a baby is born before 32 weeks, ensuring families have support right from the start, but they are certainly accessible for all parents along their journey. 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, 2026
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37 min 9 sec
S2E5: Fiona Mann - Clinical Psychology in the NICU Clinical psychology plays a vital role in helping families navigate the ups and downs of the NICU journey. For many dads, those first moments can be overwhelming — seeing their baby hooked up to machines, monitors, and tubes often looks nothing like the picture they had in mind.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.She also reveals how she works alongside medical teams, why dads often fly under the radar, and the simple, powerful ways fathers can bond with their babies, speak up about how they like information shared, and accept help without feeling like an extra burden.
Jan 12, 2026
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35 min 46 sec
First published Thursday 22 January 2026.
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