EO: 204 Trauma Informed Care in the NICU with Mary Coughlin and Jessi Barnes

Caring Essentials https://www.caringessentials.net/

FCC Taskforce website: https://www.fcctaskforce.org/

Trauma-Informed Professional 2.0 Certificate Program: https://caringessentials.net/tip2-2026

Podcast: along with Tracey Bell, a phenomenal person and NNP: Timeless Topics.

YouTube page that has our episodes as well as links to find us other places: www.youtube.com/@TimelessTopicsNICU

Key Takeaways

Trauma-informed care in the NICU is a prevention model that addresses the developmental impact of early life experiences on infants, families, and healthcare providers, rather than just a responsive strategy to existing trauma.

The core principles of trauma-informed care include safety (physical, psychological, emotional, spiritual), trust and transparency, healthy relationships and interactions, empowerment with voice and choice, and awareness of historical context.

Trust cannot be expected or demanded based on credentials alone—it must be earned through consistent, compassionate interactions that validate families' experiences and emotions.

Toxic positivity, where healthcare providers minimize parents' negative emotions by comparing their situation favorably to others, is harmful; grief is not a comparison act, and all NICU experiences are traumatic regardless of duration.

Small moments of connection—such as using the baby's name, acknowledging the unexpected nature of the NICU admission, creating milestone cards, or simply saying "I see you, this is hard"—can build trust and provide healing validation.

Trauma-informed care is not an additional task but an integrated approach that becomes part of who you are as a person, extending beyond the workplace into all human interactions.

The NICU experience doesn't end at discharge; families may carry the emotional weight for years, requiring ongoing grace, self-care, and support through resources like parent-led support groups and therapy.

Healthcare providers need to develop competencies in engaging with families in crisis, recognizing that technical medical skills alone are insufficient for providing truly compassionate, trauma-informed care.

Quotable Moments

"It's really seeing someone for who they are, where they are when they're there" - Jesse Barnes on the essence of trauma-informed care

"We're not summing up the suffering but building the buffering" - Mary Coughlin on the true purpose of trauma-informed care

"They didn't envision having to ask a stranger, can I hold my baby? Am I allowed to feed my baby? What am I allowed to do?" - Jesse Barnes on the difficult reality for NICU parents

"Just because you have a license and you've got 80 million initials after your name and oh you've got that snazzy stethoscope, doesn't mean you automatically deserve my trust" - Mary Coughlin on earned trust

"Grief is not a comparison act" - Jesse Barnes on avoiding toxic positivity

"The call for nursing is managing the human experience of disease" - Mary Coughlin on the full spectrum of nursing

"Sometimes the most healing thing you can say to somebody who's experiencing something that they identify as traumatic is, I see you, I hear you. This is hard" - Jesse Barnes on validation

"Little moments of connection" - Patty Scott summarizing the approach to trauma-informed care "The story doesn't end at discharge" - Mary Coughlin on the lasting impact of NICU experiences

"Being a parent doesn't end just because you go home without your baby" - Jesse Barnes on continued parenting during NICU stays

Show Notes by Barevalue.

No content or comments made in any TIPQC Healthy Mom Healthy Baby Podcast is intended to be comprehensive or medical advice. Neither healthcare providers nor patients should rely on TIPQC’s Podcasts in determining the best practices for any particular patient.  Additionally, standards and practices in medicine change as new information and data become available and the individual medical professional should consult a variety of sources in making clinical decisions for individual patients. TIPQC undertakes no duty to update or revise any particular Podcast. It is the responsibility of the treating physician or health care professional, relying on independent experience and knowledge of the patient, to determine appropriate treatment.