There’s the fact of knowing that with multiples your babies may come early, but nothing is preparation the reality of the NICU experience. 

The sounds, the smell of hand sanitizer,
the rules, the trauma of not going home with your babies,
the feeling like a visitor when you go to the unit to see them…

The alarms going off that cause you to panic,
worrying about infections and blood tests… 

The pain of taking one baby home,
and her twin sister is still critically ill in NICU.

That’s the reality of Stephanie Ernst’s story. She’ll share her heartfelt account of the hurdles and celebrations of the NICU experience, and the joy of leaving the NICU with both babies after nearly two months in our December Great Expectations Multiplied seminar. Stephanie will also share a “survival guide” for NICU parents, with a focus on: 

• family-centered care
• developmental support
• managing the emotional stress of a NICU stay
• the transition home and
• years beyond 

Stephanie describes herself as a twin advocate, a vocation that began with the diagnosis of her identical girls with Twin Anemia Polycythemia Sequence (TAPS). She is the Founder and Director of The TAPS Support Foundation, the Vice Chair of the International Council of Multiple Birth Organizations (ICOMBO), and a member of the advisory board for the European Standards of Care for Newborn Health. She is an author and speaker, recently presenting at the 2025 International Twins Congress. Her story has been featured in numerous articles and podcasts. 

Join us for “In the NICU.” Join us if you’re expecting multiples and want tips to help navigate the “what ifs.” Join us if you currently have babies in the NICU or if your multiples are NICU graduates. Join us if you’re a club leader wanting tips for supporting parents with one or more babies in the NICU.

We’ll meet Tues., December 16, 7:30 p.m. CST (8:30 p.m. EST, 6:30 p.m. MST, 5:30 p.m. PST). 

Fill out the quick form below to sign up online. If the time isn’t right for you, sign up and you’ll receive the seminar recording, which will be available for one week following the seminar.  

As a bonus, all who attend on December 16 will be entered into a drawing for gift cards. The Great Expectations Multiplied project is partially funded through a grant from the Prolacta Bioscience Foundation. 

Registration deadline is December 14.