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  • About
  • Mission
  • The NICU Dad Resource Guide (Old version, updated version coming soon!)
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  • Blog
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  • NICU Dads

    What You Don’t See After the NICU

    May 25, 2025 / No Comments

    This video is personal and raw. It’s about the part of the NICU journey that rarely gets talked about—what happens to NICU dads after the hospital stay is over. After our NICU journey, I fell into one of the darkest seasons of my life. My physical health declined. My mental health crumbled. I didn’t recognize myself anymore—and honestly, I didn’t know how to ask for help. As NICU dads, we’re often expected to be the rock—to stay strong for everyone else. But the truth is, I was silently breaking. And I know I’m not alone. This is why we must talk about it. The NICU doesn’t just affect babies. It…

    Read More
    Alex Zavala

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    Things don’t end in the NICU…

    April 27, 2018

    How to Survive the First 72 Hours of NICU…as a NICU Dad

    January 19, 2019

    10 things I wish I would have known as a new NICU Dad…

    March 9, 2018
  • NICU Dads

    A NICU Dad’s Journey: Strength in Silence

    May 25, 2025 / No Comments

    POV: You’re a NICU dad. Sleepless nights. Silent strength. Smiles that hide the fear. Prayers whispered in the hallway. The journey is real—but you’re not alone.Tag a NICU dad. Share for the ones who stay strong in the shadows.#NICUDad #BuiltForThis #PrematurityAwareness #FathersMatter #NICUWarrior #DadsOfTikTok #SilentStrength #TheNICUDad #mentalhealth

    Read More
    Alex Zavala

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    That yearly reminder…

    June 10, 2024

    Going back to work after the NICU

    August 11, 2018

    What You Don’t See After the NICU

    May 25, 2025
  • Uncategorized

    Happy Homecoming Day!

    August 17, 2024 /

    Yesterday was our NICU homecoming day. It is a special day in our house that we always talk about celebrating more. This year was a little different. This year I became more aware of how long our NICU stay really was. Normally we just talk about how we were in the NICU for 67 days. This time I was able to see all that we have done since our daughter’s birthday. We have lived so much life since her birthday in June. We have had birthdays, concerts, trips, parties, started school, and so much more. It has been a busy two months. I never think of our NICU stay as…

    Read More
    Alex Zavala

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    Kangaroo Care, get in there Dads!

    May 22, 2018

    Ronald McDonald House Charities

    October 2, 2018

    That yearly reminder…

    June 10, 2024
  • Stories

    That yearly reminder…

    June 10, 2024 /

    Every year this pops up on my memories. It’s the same every year and today was no different. It’s usually a busy day with us getting things ready for my daughter’s birthday, and I get a notification of a “on this day” memory. It hits me like a ton of bricks and stops me dead in my tracks. Today I was in the car with my wife, talking and laughing, and I get the notification. I look and see that picture. I say, “Oh no…Man, every year…”. I show her the picture and it takes everything in me to not start crying. But why? It’s been eleven years. Why does…

    Read More
    Alex Zavala

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    What about NICU Grandparents?

    July 3, 2018

    When time stands still…

    July 9, 2019

    Happy Parents of Preemies Day!

    May 7, 2018
  • Information

    Top 5 Tips For NICU Dads

    June 20, 2022 /

    Read More
    Alex Zavala

    You May Also Like

    Happy Parents of Preemies Day!

    May 7, 2018

    How to Survive the First 72 Hours of NICU…as a NICU Dad

    January 19, 2019

    Kangaroo Care, get in there Dads!

    May 22, 2018
  • Information

    What about dads? Life after the NICU

    January 7, 2021 /

    A few months back I was asked by Bryana Salazar to be a part of a study she was doing. I jumped at the chance when I found out the study was exploring the needs of NICU fathers and their experiences after discharge. 32 NICU fathers participated in this study to help us learn more about the NICU experience and the transition home. Please take a look at her study here: https://spark.adobe.com/page/wR523tLe542qn/#theme-5 Here is what she found. Theme 1: Dads and Healthcare Providers Interacting with healthcare providers while your child is in the NICU and beyond can be intimidating. Theme 2: Adjusting Expectations For some fathers, the transition is difficult…

    Read More
    Alex Zavala

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    My NICU Journey…67 Days in the NICU

    March 22, 2018

    When time stands still…

    July 9, 2019

    Things don’t end in the NICU…

    April 27, 2018
  • Stories,  Uncategorized

    NICU Birthday

    July 22, 2020 /

    A NICU stay is definitely a life changing experience. The hell we are put through and the gratefulness of how blessed we are, we carry them forever.

    Read More
    Alex Zavala

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    Happy Homecoming Day!

    August 17, 2024

    When time stands still…

    July 9, 2019

    Happy Parents of Preemies Day!

    May 7, 2018
  • Uncategorized

    When time stands still…

    July 9, 2019 /

    After making the drive from hell where you are begging God to spare your wife and your baby, I came running in asking where my wife has been taken. I run to labor and delivery and open the door to a room and couldn't believe what I was seeing.

    Read More
    Alex Zavala

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    NICU Birthday

    July 22, 2020

    10 things I wish I would have known as a new NICU Dad…

    March 9, 2018

    That yearly reminder…

    June 10, 2024
  • Uncategorized

    Facing my NICU reality

    May 23, 2019 /

    I think from the very first day of going into the NICU I lived in a state of denial. Even after processing and accepting some of the reality of where we were, I was still in denial of what my expectations should have been for everything.

    Read More
    Alex Zavala

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    We love our Neonatal Nurses!

    September 15, 2018

    When time stands still…

    July 9, 2019

    Happy Parents of Preemies Day!

    May 7, 2018
  • Information

    How to Survive the First 72 Hours of NICU…as a NICU Dad

    January 19, 2019 /

    A while back I was asked to host a NICU Dads Group at our local Children’s Hospital’s NICU. I thought it was a great idea and immediately jumped online to start researching some topics or just get some information that I could share with some fellow NICU Dads. I looked and looked, and found nothing. Well, maybe nothing is a slight exaggeration. All I found was an article here and there in sites that were for NICU moms. There was nothing out there for NICU Dads. Then I came across Rad White and The NICU Beard Club. Rad had also written a book for NICU Dads, Enter The NICU. I was…

    Read More
    Alex Zavala

    You May Also Like

    Happy Homecoming Day!

    August 17, 2024

    What You Don’t See After the NICU

    May 25, 2025

    Happy Parents of Preemies Day!

    May 7, 2018
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  • What You Don’t See After the NICU
  • A NICU Dad’s Journey: Strength in Silence
  • Happy Homecoming Day!
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