Tiny Little Hearts Podcast: CHD and Heart Mom Life
Tiny Little Hearts Podcast is your honest, unfiltered space for the CHD (congenital heart disease / congenital heart defect) community. Whether you're a heart parent, a CHD warrior, or someone newly navigating a complex congenital heart diagnosis — this podcast was made for you.
Hosted by Katelyn McMahan, a mom of three girls whose world changed the moment she learned her youngest daughter had complex cardiac abnormalities. She searched for real stories — kids with complex CHD, single ventricle hearts, hypoplastic left heart syndrome, and other congenital heart defects— not the polished highlight reels, but the honest, raw truth of what this life actually looks like. She wanted to prepare her heart for the good, the bad, and the ugly.
Each episode features conversations with heart parents, CHD adults, providers, and others navigating the deeply real world of congenital heart disease, open heart surgery, and medical complexity. You'll hear practical advice, emotional honesty, and stories that remind you that you are not alone in this journey. Because this life is hard — and you deserve a place to feel seen.
Topics covered include: CHD diagnosis, heart surgery recovery, parenting a medically complex child, grief and resilience, NICU and PCICU experiences, fontan circulation, cardiac catheterization, and life after a congenital heart defect diagnosis.
Support this show: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2464576/support
Tiny Little Hearts Podcast: CHD and Heart Mom Life
28. Mom Guilt After a CHD Diagnosis
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Summary:
Today, Katelyn sits down with Staci Reznik — mom to 10-year-old Davi, advocate, and someone who knows firsthand that no amount of medical expertise can prepare you for the moment you become a patient.
Staci's story is uniquely layered: her husband is a cardiothoracic surgeon, and she spent years working on the facilities side of healthcare. Together, they had built their careers inside hospitals — and yet when Davi was diagnosed with Tetralogy of Fallot and Pulmonary Atresia in utero, they found themselves standing in completely unfamiliar territory.
In this episode, Staci and Katelyn get into the raw, rarely-spoken feelings that so many heart moms carry silently after an in-utero diagnosis — the deep, gut-wrenching question of what have I done to cause this? They talk about the hidden weight of mom guilt, the emotional dark places that no one warns you about, the particular sting of postpartum recovery while your newborn is in the CVICU across town, and why surrounding yourself with people who truly get it can be the difference between surviving and thriving.
This is a conversation about the things we think but don't say out loud. And it's one you won't want to miss.
In this episode:
- Receiving a CHD diagnosis in utero as a healthcare family — and why medical knowledge is a double-edged sword
- The spiral of mom guilt: picking apart every decision, every meal, every moment before the diagnosis
- Navigating postpartum recovery separated from your newborn in the CVICU
- The exhausting question — "Is she cured?" — and how to answer it with grace
- Finding your community and keeping your candle lit through the long road of CHD parenting
- Davi's advocacy work and what the future might hold for this incredible young girl
Connect with Staci Reznik
- Instagram:@stacirez
Resources & Links:
- Stronger Hearts Foundation: strongerheartsfoundation.com
- Instagram: @strongerheartsfoundation
- Support Tiny Little Hearts — 10% of listener proceeds go to Stronger Hearts Foundation
- Use the code TINYLITTLEHEARTS for 10% off Better Days Co
Let’s Connect!
- Follow me on Instagram @tinylittleheartspodcast
- Follow me on Substack at Tiny Little Hearts Substack
- This episode was brought to you by the Pivot Ball Change Network.
Keywords: congenital heart disease mom guilt, CHD in-utero diagnosis, Tetralogy of Fallot parent story, heart mom podcast, congenital heart defect diagnosis pregnancy, fetal echocardiogram experience, CVICU newborn, CHD advocacy, heart baby diagnosis emotional support, congenital heart disease pregnancy guilt, heart mom mental health, in-utero heart diagnosis support, CHD parent community, Tetralogy of Fallot and Pulmonary Atresia, postpartum CVICU separation, heart family stories, CHD awareness podcast, pediatric heart disease parent resources