Arabic version: أب يشارك رحلة العناية المركزة لحديثي الولادة عبر أغنية

According to ABC News, Central Queensland artist Trent Richardson has released a song about his son Archie after the family spent months navigating neonatal intensive care. Archie was born in August 2025 via emergency caesarean, separated from his mother shortly after birth and flown to Brisbane, where he spent more than two months in a neonatal intensive care unit.

Richardson, 25, said the experience of seeing his firstborn surrounded by cords was frightening. Archie was diagnosed in the NICU with septo-optic dysplasia, a rare condition that Richardson said has affected his brain, vision and co-ordination. His single, Promise You Now, reflects his experience as a father sitting beside his baby’s bed while other dads took their children home.

Richardson said he wrote and sang the ballad as an alternative to therapy and to reach other parents dealing with the trauma of neonatal care. Since its release, he said families with NICU experience had shown him “a lot of love”. His partner, Gabby Nielsen, said she was moved to tears when she heard the song and praised Richardson’s fatherhood.

Brisbane obstetrician, gynaecologist and University of Queensland researcher Alka Kothari said about one in five babies nationally require admission to special care or neonatal intensive care nurseries, while unexpected complications occur in about one third of pregnancies. She said such events can significantly affect fathers’ and partners’ mental health, and called for stronger peer support, better engagement by health professionals, education, screening and support for non-birthing parents. Archie, now one, still faces challenges but Richardson described him as a “clever little boy” who can find his spoon and dummy and “zips around.”