• Home
  • About
  • Mission
  • The NICU Dad Resource Guide (Old version, updated version coming soon!)
  • The NICU Dad Podcast
  • Blog
  • Shop
  • The NICU Dad Holiday Bags
  • Subscribe
  • Links
  • Contact
  • Home
  • About
  • Mission
  • The NICU Dad Resource Guide (Old version, updated version coming soon!)
  • The NICU Dad Podcast
  • Blog
  • Shop
  • The NICU Dad Holiday Bags
  • Subscribe
  • Links
  • Contact
  • 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

    You May Also Like

    My Story. How it all began.

    March 3, 2018

    Going back to work after the NICU

    August 11, 2018

    Things don’t end in the NICU…

    April 27, 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

    You May Also Like

    Happy Parents of Preemies Day!

    May 7, 2018

    My NICU Journey…67 Days in the NICU

    March 22, 2018

    My Story. How it all began.

    March 3, 2018
  • 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

    You May Also Like

    Ronald McDonald House Charities

    October 2, 2018

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

    March 9, 2018

    Facing my NICU reality

    May 23, 2019
  • 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

    You May Also Like

    Kangaroo Care, get in there Dads!

    May 22, 2018

    Ronald McDonald House Charities

    October 2, 2018

    What about NICU Grandparents?

    July 3, 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

    You May Also Like

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

    March 9, 2018

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

    January 19, 2019

    NICU Birthday

    July 22, 2020
  • 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

    You May Also Like

    My Story. How it all began.

    March 3, 2018

    We love our Neonatal Nurses!

    September 15, 2018

    Happy Homecoming Day!

    August 17, 2024
  • 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

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

    March 9, 2018

    Things don’t end in the NICU…

    April 27, 2018

    What about NICU Grandparents?

    July 3, 2018
  • Information

    Ronald McDonald House Charities

    October 2, 2018 /

     On June 10, 2013 my wife and I both went to work on what seemed like a normal Monday morning. She was 27 weeks pregnant. It was the first day of summer vacation for our oldest daughter, who had just turned 9 the week before. Everything was fine, until my wife called around 9 a.m., hysterical. Her water broke, and an ambulance was on its way to take her to the hospital. I was almost 45 minutes away, but made it to the hospital in about 15 minutes. Our world was turned upside down. We were informed that the baby was breach and we would have to have an…

    Read More
    Alex Zavala

    You May Also Like

    What about NICU Grandparents?

    July 3, 2018

    My NICU Journey…67 Days in the NICU

    March 22, 2018

    What You Don’t See After the NICU

    May 25, 2025
  • Uncategorized

    We love our Neonatal Nurses!

    September 15, 2018 /

    There is a special bond between neonatal nurses and families with babies in the NICU. If I were to explain this to new NICU dads I would start by telling them about our experience and sharing how NICU nurses become more than just caretakers of your baby. They were one of our main support groups during our NICU stay. There were so many intimate moments that were shared with our NICU nurses, some good and some bad. From the very first day that I walked into the NICU and saw our tiny baby in her iscolet, with all those tubes, I cried. It was one of our NICU nurses who…

    Read More
    Alex Zavala

    You May Also Like

    Facing my NICU reality

    May 23, 2019

    Ronald McDonald House Charities

    October 2, 2018

    Happy Homecoming Day!

    August 17, 2024
  • Information

    Going back to work after the NICU

    August 11, 2018 /

    I recently came across a post on social media, where a mother shared her plan about returning to work after coming home from the NICU and asked for advice on what other NICU parents did. The thread that followed completely blew my mind! I couldn’t believe how many parents responded and how similar their stories were to ours. Having a baby in the NICU is life changing, and more often, bringing a baby home from the NICU is also life changing. Some parents bring home babies from the NICU who still require a lot of care. They have to make some serious decisions about who is going to care for…

    Read More
    Alex Zavala

    You May Also Like

    NICU Birthday

    July 22, 2020

    Happy Homecoming Day!

    August 17, 2024

    When time stands still…

    July 9, 2019
12

Recent Posts

  • What You Don’t See After the NICU
  • A NICU Dad’s Journey: Strength in Silence
  • Happy Homecoming Day!
  • That yearly reminder…
  • Top 5 Tips For NICU Dads

Recent Comments

  • Rob on Blog
  • Cynthia on Going back to work after the NICU
  • Melissa on Things don’t end in the NICU…

Archives

Categories

Meta

  • Log in
  • Entries feed
  • Comments feed
  • WordPress.org
Ashe Theme by Royal-Flush - 2025 ©