On May 11, 2026, 99nicu turns 20. It’s a moment that feels deeply meaningful to me.When I shared the very first words on 99nicu back in 2006, and celibrated our first birth day in 2007, the idea was simple: to create a web-based space where NICU staff could “share and care.” This was before social media as we know it today, when like-minded people gathered on bulletin boards in the era of what we then called Web 2.0 (Wikipedia), guided by the belief that “information wants to be free.” (Those really were the days!)And yes, our first logo was… not too bad 🙂Much of my inspiration back then came from 99mac, a community I was part of, where Mac users helped each other with all kinds of IT-related challenges. It made me think: why shouldn’t NICU staff have something similar? As a young neonatal specialist at the time, I was eager to connect beyond my own unit. But with demanding shifts, traveling to conferences was rarely possible.Since 2006, 99nicu has gone through many phases, from the early “just do it” years, through quieter periods, to where we are today: a full-fledged community with this website, conferences, webinars, and even the NICUVERSE, our own social media feed based on Mastodon.Over the years, our community has grown into something greater than a website. It’s a place of generosity, curiosity, and support. I’ve seen colleagues from around the world come together to discuss complex cases, challenge ideas, and stand by each other during difficult moments.For me personally, 99nicu has been an incredible journey. I’ve learned so much from all of you, and I feel truly grateful to have been part of building and nurturing this community together. Your willingness to share knowledge and perspectives, with the common purpose of improving care for newborns and their families, is such a source of inspiration. It’s also a powerful reminder that there is still a lot of good in the world.To everyone who has contributed over the past 20 years, whether by asking a question, sharing an insight, or simply being present, thank you ❤️ You are what makes 99nicu what it is.As we celebrate this milestone, I’m excited about what lies ahead. The need for connection and collaboration in neonatal care is as important as ever.With gratitude, StefanPS. As a non-profit organization registered with the Swedish Tax Agency, we rely on community support. If you find value in 99nicu, please consider contributing an annual fee of 10 EUR, just click here!

Neonatal sepsis remains one of the leading causes of death and harm in newborns worldwide, and it disproportionately affects babies in low- and middle-income settings.This week at the PAS 2026 conference, a new global initiative took its first formal step: the Newborn Sepsis Society held its founding meeting.The Society brings together clinicians, researchers, and partner organizations across disciplines and borders, with a shared mission: to improve outcomes for newborns worldwide by advancing the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of neonatal sepsis. They explicitly prioritize representation from diverse regions, especially where the burden of neonatal sepsis is greatest.👉 Learn more and join at https://newbornsepsissociety.org/And as 99nicu, we are excited to see this initiative take off, and keeping our fingers crossed for the growth and good ideas to come. And being the grassroot community we are, we are always open for sepsis discussions- so bring them on!Kat from 99nicu

I had a discussion with our IPC-nurse.After spending a year at our nearest level-4 unit where there was a problem with intermittent spread of nosocomial infections (viral as well as kleb and serratia), I wanted to change our routines regarding cleaning of ultrasonography probes. Currently, we are using 45 vol% isopropyl alcohol with added tensides.I tried to change into a combination of Kiilto Pro Cleanisept wipes ( with Didecylmetylammonium chloride, Alkylbensyldimetylammonium chloride and Alkyletylbensyldimetylammonium chloride) and 70 percent ethanol disinfection—wipes, as adopted in the other unit to limit nosocomial spread of pathogens in our unit. But since our IPC-nurse said it was not necessary they decided to continue with our current protocol because it was cheaper. Do you have any specific knowledge on how to approach the possible spread of nosochomial infections through ultrasound devices as POCUS becomes more established in every unit? Are there any good guidelines?I have a worry that our IPC-unit does not have the full neonatal perspective on things.All the best,

Hi everyone,
I’ve been working on a simple web-based neonatal echocardiography (TNE) tool to support structured assessments and reporting during clinical practice.
The aim is to:
bring key measurements and calculations (e.g. outputs, E/A, E/E′, MPI) into one place
standardise how I approach LV, RV, and PDA assessment
and generate a concise, clinically meaningful summary at the end
This is something I built primarily for my own workflow, but I’d really value feedback from others who do TNE.
I’d be particularly interested in thoughts on:
whether the structure reflects real-world TNE practice
missing parameters or unnecessary ones
how useful (or safe) automated interpretation might be
and whether the generated summary feels clinically appropriate
Thanks in advance!

How long have you been a member of 99nicu? A year? Five years? Longer than some of your colleagues have been qualified? You might be surprised how far back this community goes.Our 99nicu community has more than 7,000 members from 76 countries. We have been around longer than Facebook has been in Europe, and almost as long as Twitter has existed at all — and despite being "old school", we have persevered. Many predicted that forums would disappear once social media took over. But looking at where the world is going, it feels more and more like we need spaces we can rely on — grassroots, independent, and not subject to the whims of algorithms or platform owners.And honestly? Sometimes we all just need a place that isn't endless doom scrolling. Yes, you can justify it with "but there's educational content there too" — but what is your actual retention of something you had less than three seconds to grasp before the next thing came along?We love meeting you in person — whether at 99nicu meetups or other conferences. It matters, putting faces to usernames. Over the years we have had the chance to meet many of you, whether wearing our academic, clinical, or entrepreneurial hats. Later this year we will meet some of you in France, where we are partnering with the CEPAS conference — and we are genuinely looking forward to what we have planned there.But our global village is much bigger than whoever can make it to a conference. We span continents, and not everyone can travel all the time — after all, somebody has to stay on call. So this year, we want to connect more.As part of our 20th anniversary, we want to organize a few informal online meetings. We want to hear from you — your thoughts on where 99nicu should go, projects we could take on together, and how you can get involved.The first meeting is on May 7th. Details are available in our Community Calendar. Save the date!- Kat from 99nicu