
NICU doctors and nurses can make all the difference for parents of vulnerable babies.
Few things are more heart-wrenching than seeing a baby fighting for its life. The NICU—Neonatal Intensive Care Unit—is the unit in hospitals where babies who are born prematurely or who have health conditions that need specialized treatment go for care. It's a special place, where hope and worry whirl together in a dizzying dance to the irregular rhythm of monitors beeping.
No one likes seeing a baby in the NICU, despite the fact that it gives vulnerable wee ones the best chance to survive and thrive. That's the goal of every NICU, to help babies get to the point where they're OK in the outside world, as well as the goal of every parent and healthcare worker who steps foot in the unit.
For parents, having a baby in the NICU is a harrowing experience, and having doctors and nurses who understand that fully can make all the difference. That's why a tweet about a NICU doctor's "new favorite hobby" being "hyping up" her NICU patients to their parents resonated with so many people.
Dr. Jennifer Sedler is a third-year pediatrics resident at Stanford Pediatrics Residency Program, according to TODAY Parents. She had just finished giving parents updates on their babies' progress when she felt an "overwhelming sense of positivity" that she wanted to share with others. So she sent out a tweet that said, "My new favorite hobby is hyping up my NICU babies to their parents. I list their accomplishments for the day, say how proud I am of them, or highlight how strong they were today. It’s such a joy to see/hear their parents beam with pride over their tiny fighters."
My new favorite hobby is hyping up my NICU babies to their parents. I list their accomplishments for the day, say how proud I am of them, or highlight how strong they were today. It\u2019s such a joy to see/hear their parents beam with pride over their tiny fighters.— Jennifer Sedler, MD (@Jennifer Sedler, MD) 1641090350
People loved her attitude and passion for her patients and their parents. Knowing that a doctor cares this much is a balm to the terrified hearts of parents who are praying their baby pulls through. When it's clear that parents and doctors are on the same team, both eagerly wanting the same outcome, it's easier for everyone to accept the outcome, whatever it is. And when you know that each day makes a difference, hearing positive, compassionate reports from caregivers can give parents some small measure of hope.
"It's not about sugarcoating it or about providing false hope, because talking about the difficult news and the hard times it's important, too," Sedler told TODAY Parents. "But there's both tangible and intangible victories in the NICU. There's the tangible things like weight gain and lab values. But then there's intangible things like, despite the procedure your baby had to have today they're being strong throughout it, or they're really fighting through this tough time."
People began sharing their stories in replies to her post, some sharing photos of their NICU babies and where they are now, with a flood of praise for the healthcare workers who worked with them.
My son was born at 32.5 weeks, and is now 4 months old today.\n\nThe exact thing you\u2019re talking about made the hardest of those 33 days easy, and made us so proud of him and his strides every day.\n\nThank you (and Texas Health HEB NICU) for what you do!pic.twitter.com/mQCDadyPgr— Brendon Morris (@Brendon Morris) 1641224996
The nurses in the NICU were our angels. As a mama with twins that were also in the NICU seeing your twins thrive makes my heart happy and am so excited to see my boys grow like yours have— Jess \ud83d\udd2e\u2728 (@Jess \ud83d\udd2e\u2728) 1641185076
My nearly 30 year old, born 1 lb, 10 oz spent his first two and a half months in the NICU. I couldn't have survived the worry without the compassion and dedication of his doctors and nurses.— Jan Jewell (@Jan Jewell) 1641187191
NICU nurses are angels on earth— John Ross (@John Ross) 1641184360
So many people shared how much they appreciated the care they got from NICU nurses and doctors and how important reports like Dr. Sedler's were to them.
"I absolutely never imagined that would be the response," Sedler told TODAY Parents. "To be totally transparent, I teared up quite a few times reading these stories over the last few days."
Sedler isn't planning on a career in the NICU—her chosen specialty is cardiology, but she had to do a NICU rotation as part of her program to ensure that residents are trained in pediatric care. But her time in the NICU has had an impact.
"There is just such a special energy about the NICU, and about new life and supporting these families that makes it a really special place to work," she said.
Sedler said she believes "positive energy really makes a difference" for patients in the NICU. "I think that going about our lives in that same way, and calling out those little victories, is what's going to help get us through the tough times."
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There's a reason why some people can perfectly copy accents, and others can't
Turns out, there's a neurodivergent link.
A woman in black long sleeve shirt stands in front of mirror.
Have you ever had that friend who goes on vacation for four days to London and comes back with a full-on Queen's English posh accent? "Oooh I left my brolly in the loo," they say, and you respond, "But you're from Colorado!" Well, there are reasons they (and many of us) do that, and usually it's on a pretty subconscious level.
It's called "accent mirroring," and it's actually quite common with people who are neurodivergent, particularly those with ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder). According Neurolaunch, the self-described "Free Mental Health Library," "Accent mirroring, also known as accent adaptation or phonetic convergence, is the tendency to unconsciously adopt the accent or speech patterns of those around us. This linguistic chameleon effect is not unique to individuals with ADHD, but it appears to be more pronounced and frequent in this population."
Essentially, when people have conversations, we're constantly "scanning" for information—not just the words we're absorbing, but the inflection and tone. "When we hear an accent, our brains automatically analyze and categorize the phonetic features, prosody, and intonation patterns," writes Neurolaunch. For most, this does result in copying the accent of the person with whom we're speaking. But those with ADHD might be more sensitive to auditory cues. This, "coupled with a reduced ability to filter out or inhibit the impulse to mimic…could potentially explain the increased tendency for accent mirroring."
While the article explains further research is needed, they distinctly state that, "Accent mirroring in individuals with ADHD often manifests as an unconscious mimicry of accents in social situations. This can range from subtle shifts in pronunciation to more noticeable changes in intonation and speech rhythm. For example, a person with ADHD might find themselves unconsciously adopting a Southern drawl when conversing with someone from Texas, even if they’ve never lived in the South themselves."
People are having their say online. On the subreddit r/ADHDWomen, a thread began: "Taking on accents is an ADHD thing?" The OP shares, "My whole life, I've picked up accents. I, myself, never noticed, but everyone around me would be like, 'Why are you talking like that??' It could be after I watched a show or movie with an accent or after I've traveled somewhere with a different accent than my 'normal.'
They continue, "Apparently, I pick it up fast, but it fades out slowly. Today... I'm scrolling Instagram, I watch a reel from a comedian couple (Darcy and Jeremy. IYKYK) about how Darcy (ADHD) picks up accents everywhere they go. It's called ADHD Mirroring??? And it's another way of masking."
(The OP is referring to Darcy Michaels and his husband Jeremy Baer, who are both touring comedians based in Canada.)
Hundreds of people on the Reddit thread alone seem to relate. One comments, "Omfg I've done this my whole life; I'll even pick up on the pauses/spaces when I'm talking to someone who is ESL—but English is my first language lol."
Sometimes, it can be a real issue for those around the chameleon. "I accidentally mimicked a waitress's weird laugh one time. As soon as she was out of earshot, my family started to reprimand me, but I was already like 'oh my god I don’t know why I did that, I feel so bad.'"
Many commenters on TikTok were shocked to find out this can be a sign of ADHD. One jokes, "Omg, yes, at a store the cashier was talking to me and she was French. She's like 'Oh are you French too? No, I'm not lol. I'm very east coast Canada."
And some people just embrace it and make it work for them. "I mirror their words or phrase! I’m 30. I realized I start calling everyone sweetie cause my manager does & I work at coffee shop."