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Emily O'Sullivan, Trauma-Informed Parent Wellness Specialist

@kintsugi_my_heart

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followers

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For NICU + Medical parents who didn't get the journey they expected 🤍
Trauma, grief, joy, and everything between
👇🏻 Soft landing here

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There are new faces here, so I wanted to take a moment to introduce myself.

Hi, I'm Emily. I'm really glad you're here.

If you resonate with anything in my story, reach out. My DMs are always open and I would love to hear from you.
Even if it's just to say hi and connect briefly.

There's so much more to this, and I write in order to process, but I tried to keep things concise here.

💞

#aboutme
#grieveoutloud
#griefjourney
#intro
#parentsupport by @kintsugi_my_heart

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a month ago

We couldn't be more excited to have you here for this one.

After years of walking alongside NICU families professionally, navigating NICU parenthood ourselves, and coming out the other side with new perspectives and knowledge;
we built the thing we wished existed when we needed it the most.

NICU Hearts Collective is a virtual community and platform
for NICU parents, from NICU parents.

Atara and Emily have lived through the alarms, the medical needs, the unease of parenting in stress and uncertainty, the discharge that felt too far away. And as professionals

Inside this community, we are offering
live calls,
direct support with us,
real education and resources.
And most importantly: a COMMUNITY of people who understand this specific kind of hard without feeling like you have to explain it.

You're not alone in this, we want to walk with you.

Follow @NICUHeartsCollective for updates and next steps for joining us!

#NICUparent
#NICUsupport
#birthtrauma
#marernalmentalhealth
#NICUbonding by @kintsugi_my_heart

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2 months ago

NICU parents: I have a couple of virtual options to
support you,
walk with you,
witness your love for your baby(ies),
as you navigate this unexpected leap into parenting.

Both options start with scheduling a free call with me to explore a bit more about what this support can look like for you and so I can hear your story with my whole heart individually.

I've walked my own path through unexpected parenting journeys, and now I'm here to walk with you through yours.

🤍 Click the link in my bio to learn more and book a free call.
🤍 Share this post with anybody who you think could use some extra loving support.

#griefcoach
#NICUParent
#parentingwhilegrieving
#nicusupport
#virtualsupport by @kintsugi_my_heart

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4 months ago

I light a candle tonight in remembrance and honor of my sweet Cora Finley,
the babies who came before her,
and all other little ones around the world who now only live in our hearts.

🤍🕯️

#waveoflight2026
#pregnancyandinfantlossawareness
#waveoflight
#bereavedmother
#kintsugimyheart by @kintsugi_my_heart

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1

a day ago

I’ve lit countless candles.

Not just on Oct 15th each year since Cora died,
but every single night.

I have a self-designed tattoo of a candle on my arm to keep her candle lit in
every single moment.

And my candle is not just for Cora.

It’s for my pregnancy losses, it’s for the other babies who are also carried in hearts rather than arms.

So my ask is this 👇🏻
if you join in the Wave of Light this year, post a picture of your candle in the comments below and where your candle is in the world.
I would love to see a wave of light right here in the comments.

#waveoflight2026
#PAILremembranceday
#pregnancyandinfantloss
#miscarriage
#bereavedmother by @kintsugi_my_heart

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2 days ago

@healingheartsccls came through this morning with a ton of useful information to offer NICU families within the NICU Hearts Collective space, and I'm so excited to be able to share it.

Our chat was enlightening, and I really enjoyed starting my day in conversation with such a brilliant and compassionate person.

Atara and I are looking forward to so many more opportunities for interviews with experts within the NICU community!

We'd love to see you inside the NICU Hearts Collective to be able to share all of these resources with you 🤍 by @kintsugi_my_heart

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2 days ago

Nothing can send a NICU parent from “I’m fine” to fully activated quite like seeing the NICU, pediatrician, or specialist pop up on caller ID. 😅

Because your 🧠 doesn’t just see a phone call.

It may see:

➡️Something changed.
➡️There’s a problem.
➡️They found something.
➡️Get ready.

That reaction can happen before you even answer.

After the NICU, your nervous system can become incredibly sensitive to cues associated with uncertainty, medical information, and bad news. So even a completely routine call can hit your body like an emergency.

And then you answer and they’re like:

“Hi! Just confirming your appointment for Thursday.”

Meanwhile your heart rate has entered another dimension. 😂

We get it.

This is exactly the kind of post-NICU nervous system response we talk about inside NICU Hearts Collective. Cause sometimes the crisis is over, but your body still reacts like the next update could change everything.

If you’re looking for support that actually understands life after the NICU, comment “SUPPORT” and I’ll DM you the link to NICU Hearts Collective. We have a free 7 day trial!💌 by @kintsugi_my_heart

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3 days ago

I heard this audio and it rocked my heart a bit.

As bereaved parents, we always hope that our children would be proud of us.

We hope that we're doing their legacy justice.

There is always an unspoken pressure internally to make sure their lives are remembered and meaningful. And as a parent, it feels like it’s our job to uphold that meaning-making.

I remember feeling the pressure so early on after Cora died.
I remember talking to my therapist about it, feeling angry that the pressure was even there; wondering why it was my job to make sure her life was worth something.

The truth is, it wasn’t my job.
Cora’s life was worth a lot. No matter what happened after her death, her life was worthy of everything. Every memory we had together, every bit of grief that crept in through the cracks of the aftermath, every person who has been touched by her short life. She’s worthy of it all.

So do I think Cora would be proud of me? Yes.

Is it because I’m “making something in her honor”? No.

I think she would be proud of me because of the way I continue to love her and parent her and speak her name to anybody who will listen.

I think she’s proud of me for raising her brother to know her, despite having never met.

I think she’s proud of me for making space in my heart for life’s joys when at times it felt completely consumed by grief.

I think she’s proud of me for seeing the good in others, and finding myself through the pain.

I hope she knows she’s woven into everything I do.
She has made me better, not because she died, but because she lived.

#bereavedparent
#griefcoach
#legacy
#kintsugimyheart
#meaningmaking by @kintsugi_my_heart

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3 days ago

For months, years really, I was so focused on giving my babies everything their bodies and nervous systems needed.
Touch.
Voice.
Closeness.
Regulation.

I didn't think once about my own. And even now I still have difficulty remembering my own nervous system.

Here's what I know now that I didn't back then (and frequently remind myself).

Oxytocin isn't only running through your baby's system. It's running through yours too, all the time. Hugs from someone you trust. Holding hands. A long embrace instead of a quick one. All of these impact the same hormone we’ve been talking about in this series.

Same calming, regulating, love-inducing effect. Just being stimulated by a different relationship.

Research on couples has found that more frequent hugging is tied to higher oxytocin levels. Which means it lowers stress hormones in your body (and your partner’s) the same way it does in your baby's.

There's a really important catch, though. It only works with touch you trust.
Safety comes first. The calming effect follows it.

This makes sense because if the touch or hug doesn’t feel safe or trustworthy, the sympathetic nervous system kicks in (fight, flight, freeze, fawn).

The key takeaway here:
If you've been pouring regulation into your baby this whole time, *let someone hold you, too*. Your nervous system needs it just as much.

If you're realizing you've been running on empty, I see you and I’ve been there. I'd love to talk it through and find ways to give you back a moment of regulation, a moment of calm, and a boost of oxytocin.

DM me. 🧡

#regulation
#oxytocin
#matrescence
#sympatheticnervoussystem
#hugs by @kintsugi_my_heart

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4 days ago

So often your body remembers the helplessness of those moments long after the medical crisis has ended.

And healing can include making space for the grief of what you didn’t get to choose, experience, or hold onto.

If this is part of your NICU story too, you don’t have to make sense of it alone.

Inside the NICU Hearts Collective, we create space for the parts of the experience that can linger long after discharge.

Come join us if you’re looking for support from people who truly get it. 💕 by @kintsugi_my_heart

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4 days ago

Sometimes healing after the NICU means finally making space for the grief nobody told you was allowed.

Not only grief for what happened.

But grief for:

what didn’t happen.⬅️

Save this for the day one of those losses catches you by surprise.

Share it with a NICU parent who may need permission to name theirs. And tell us, what’s something you were surprised to grieve?💌 by @kintsugi_my_heart

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7 days ago

When another mama told me about a NICU where her friend could only see her baby for 20 minutes a day, I honestly couldn't stop thinking about it.

My NICU experience is limited to my own, and I hadn't ever taken the time to understand how other NICUs might function until I moved to a new city and now hear about different experiences.

But this one floored me.

Twenty minutes. To hold your baby, if holding was even allowed.
And then when do you ask your questions?! When do you get to just be their parent?!

So I started digging into NICU rules around the world, and wow.
The range is huge. Some places welcome parents 24/7. Some have historically kept parents out completely.
And here in the U.S., it mostly depends on which hospital you happen to land in.

As a NICU mom and a pediatric OT, here's what I know for sure: babies need their parents, and parents need their babies.

The research backs this up. When parents are at the bedside, babies tend to do better.

But I also know that a lot of you reading this couldn't be there as much as you wanted.
Maybe a rule kept you out.
Maybe life did.
If that's you, please read slide 9 twice,
and offer yourself so much grace.

👉🏻Now I want to hear from you.
What were the visiting rules in your NICU? Was there a rule that surprised you or made things harder?
Share your state or country and the year below. I'm gathering your answers for a follow-up post so we can see the bigger picture together.

#aroundtheworld
#niculife
#nicuparent
#regulations
#nicuheartscollective by @kintsugi_my_heart

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8 days ago