Meet Dr. Sibasis Daspal.  Dr. Daspal was born in India, trained in pediatrics in India, UK and Canada (Edmonton) with sub specialty training in neonatal intensive care. He started working as a neonatologist in Saskatoon (initially RUH which subsequently moved to Jim Pattison Children's Hospital) in the year of 2014. He was appointed as medical director of the NICU since 2019. Dr. Daspal's special interest is incorporating bed side point of care ultrasound in the clinical practices. He also strongly believes in family centred care & helped his NICU to be the first in Canada to implement NicView web based camera for the parents to cherish their babies every moment when they are not physically in the unit. Dr. Daspal is a wealth of knowledge & is committed to ensure the best possible family centred care to the babies of Saskatchewan. Is this podcast we discuss clinic visits.  

Meet Carla Connery - Carla is a a Neonatal Nurse Practitioner. After enjoying her role as an NICU nurse for 11 years, she completed a Masters of Science in Nursing & Neonatal Nurse Practitioner certification. Carla has worked as a nurse practitioner for 10 years & is passionate about providing the best possible, evidence-based care for her tiny patients. As well, Carla thoroughly enjoys working with families, as she believes they are often the best advocate for their child. One of Carla's children was in NICU for one week after birth which gave her a brief glimpse into the life of an NICU parent. Her child also struggled with health challenges & was a patient on pediatrics for months before passing away.  Carla believes her experience gave her an appreciation for the struggle & trauma that most parents go through when their child is sick.  Carla explains that she was fortunate to know many of her son's caregivers while he was in hospital. She frequently reminds herself of this when working with families who are uncertain & scared of their situation in the NICU. Carla makes ongoing efforts to try to take the time to explain who she is, what the team is monitoring & what the team believes is the best course of medical treatment. 

Carla has have spent her entire career thus far in the NICU & calls herself a lifer. Most of her work time is spent attending high risk deliveries of neonates, working within a multidisciplinary team to manage patients in NICU, & educating staff & families whenever possible. Carla is one of the provincial leaders for the Neonatal Resuscitation Program - an international course for resuscitating newborns. Carla works to help teach this practice to local staff & to various professionals in rural hospitals that deliver babies. Outside the hospital, Carla is a mother to 4 children and she enjoys spending time outdoors where she likes to garden, walk or bike. 

In this episode, we discuss how care  is delivered differently across country & how NICU practices differ. 

Meet Dr. Jasmina Kobiljski - Dr. Kobiljski is a Consultant Psychiatrist with special interest in Perinatal Mental Health, Psycho-Oncology & Psychotherapy. She has outpatient practices in Victoria General Hospital & BC Cancer. She is a Cognitive Behavioural Therapy facilitator through the CBT Skills Group Society of Victoria. She provides psychiatric consultation to Rapid Access for Consultative Expertise & Dr2Dr services. Dr. Kobiljski is actively involved in resident physician & medical student teaching through the University of British Columbia & University of Victoria.
Dr. Kobiljski completed her medical degree and psychiatry specialty training at University of British Columbia. Prior to that she completed a Bachelors of Science degree in Biochemistry at University of British Columbia. Dr. Kobiljski was born in Former Yugoslavia & is fluent in Serbian. In her free time, she enjoys meditation, weight lifting, hiking, traveling & time with family. 

This podcast is a wealth of information! Dr. Kobiljski explains the difference between postpartum depression/anxiety & PTSD and how to access help as well as support love ones. 

Meet Erin! We both had the opportunity for our boys to be cared for by this beautiful super human at the Hospital for Kid Children in the 5B unit. Areas that are covered in 5B include gastrointestinal conditions, G and GJ tubes, image guided therapy and urology.  Erin graduated nursing from York University in fall 2012, and started working at SickKids on 5B in early 2013 as a staff RN. She then completed her Masters of Nursing and Primary Care NP certification in fall of 2018, then worked as an Nurse Practitioner on 5B for a year. She currently works in family practice, where she works patients of all ages, although she will always have a special place in her heart for my paediatric patients!

In this episode, Kayla and Jessica share there experiences living at Ronald McDonald House in Toronto while their boys were being treated at The Hospital for Sick Children. According to RMHC Toronto (2021) 65% of Canadians live outside of a city with a children’s hospital.  Therefore, if their child gets sick or in our cases born critically ill, families, like us, must travel long distances for their child to receive medical treatment at SickKids. Families must then leave their homes, families, jobs & community support at a time when they need them the most, often causing significant emotional and financial stress. RMHC Toronto encompasses a House for 81 families in downtown Toronto and seven Family Rooms in hospitals across the Greater Toronto Area and in Sudbury.  We don't know how we would have gotten through our experience without RMCH Toronto. Here we share our stories <3

Meet Alex - Alex is a Certified Child Life Specialist at a hospital just outside Toronto. In this role she provides psychosocial support and care to pediatric patients and their families experiencing illness and injury. Using play based and therapeutic interventions , Alex offers infants, children and youth opportunities for normalization and development of positive coping skills.

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Meet Linda Burdett - Linda is a registered Psychotherapist with over 17 years experience providing psychotherapy. She is passionate about helping clients overcome anxiety, depression and relationship difficulties, learn to be compassionate to themselves, rediscover their courage, and work towards their ideal life. Linda views life as a process of overcoming and in pursuing personal growth. Her approach is holistic and client centered. Linda’s therapy is always tailored to meet the needs of her clients...which include both of us! Her primary approach is Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, which looks at addressing and challenging negative thinking that leads to anxiety, depressive feelings and worry. She also uses other modalities including Adlerian; Mindfulness; and Emotionally Focused Therapies. She equips clients with accurate and current information about their issues. Linda promotes self-understanding by helping clients develop insight into their personality preferences, behaviours and family dynamics. We don’t know where we would be without Linda. When speaking with Linda, we never feel judgement and she makes us feel heard and accepted.