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Blogs

Featured Entries

Food for thought

Living for two - the grief hides deep inside you

Living for Two: Twin Loss Stories is a 2023 book written by journalist and triplet Pia Rockström. It explores the profound and unique grief experienced by surviving twins, reflecting the feeling of some, of having to live both for oneself and one's lost sibling. I connected with Pia after we met through the Lone Twin Network and read her book including 20 stories of twin loss at birth, in childhood and in adulthood from around the world. All of the stories are beautiful and touching, and I asked
The Weight of Small Things

When the Answers Arrives Before the Questions

There's a scene that keeps coming back to me since I heard Professor Madalena Patrício, of the University of Lisbon's Faculty of Medicine, speak about artificial intelligence in health professions education. It isn't a scene from her talk, exactly — it's from Pluribus, a series I watched recently that, somehow, found a new way to be read in light of what she said. In the show, a signal from space carries the code of a virus that fuses almost all of humanity into a single consciousness. At first
99nicu News

99NICU - the online neonatal community reclaimed

We are approaching the 20 year anniversary of 99NICU and while thinking about our journey, we also came to explore the wider scope, including the feeling of a lost online neonatal community. When I first helped build 99NICU in 2006, it came from a very simple need: a safe place to talk about neonatal care with other health care professionals. Not just to exchange information, like over email, but create a community space to think, question and learn together from real clinical experience. At the
Food for thought

Brazilian pink breastmilk - let's take a closer look

The colour of breastmilk is rarely a uniform, static white and changes during the day, stage of lactation and maternal diet. Colostrum is often yellow or orange due to high concentrations of beta-carotene. At the start of a pump or feed, foremilk appears ‘thin’, almost watery, sometimes with a blue/translucent tint due to lower fat content whereas hind milk is more typically creamy white or yellow. Maternal diet impacts colour variations. Eating large amounts of foods rich in carotene—such as ca
99nicu News

Newborn Sepsis Society: Invitation for the Launch Event during CEPAS

Sepsis doesn't wait for a convenient hour, so neither will we. This Friday, 30 October, 08:00–09:00, the Newborn Sepsis Society launches in Europe at CEPAS 2026 in Lyon. Yes, it's early. We promise it's worth the alarm. 📍 Room: St Clair 2 New society, same goal: fewer newborns harmed by sepsis, and more of us working on it together. What to expect: 🔹 Why a new society? Eleanor Molloy, Johan Gyllensvärd and Joanna Seliga-Siwecka (short answer: because babies deserve better, long answer: come and
Food for thought

Twin loss. At least you've still got one.

Parents' views and experience of baby loss in a multiple pregnancy. Acknowledgement is key. PParents who had a multiple pregnancy where one or more babies died, but where one (or more) babies survive, face unique challenges. Our research identified many themes - mostly centred around acknowledgment. Acknowledgement that this was/is a multiple pregnancy a baby died - and most often had a name (and not “twin 2”, or a “9-week fetal loss”) there is a juxtaposition of grief for the baby/s who died,
Food for thought

Breastmilk protein in cows and humans

The process of evolution resulted in breastmilk perfectly suited to the survival and developmental needs of the newborn of that species. Mammalian milk composition varies during the day, and over the days, weeks and months of breastfeeding. All species vary in macronutrient, micronutrient and bionutrient composition. Bionutrients (also known as immuno-nutrients, or functional components) are key to many of the benefits of getting the ‘right’ breastmilk, and there are 1000s of them - we’ll get to
Food for thought

Elvis Presley & Cristiano Ronaldo - twins, butterflies and baby loss

More than 15 years ago I started working with a team to explore parent feelings and experiences about the time when the NICU team felt it appropriate to discuss the option of withdrawing/stopping active intensive care for their sick baby. The research ethics committee were hesitant suggesting that we might upset parents if we reminded them their baby had died … I found the research experience deeply humbling on many levels, and I learned much more in that study than I expected. I learned from ac
Food for thought

Baby Loss & the meaning of life

All about me! I qualified MBBS 1990, started paediatrics 1991, & did my first NICU job 1992. I was utterly terrified those first few weeks, but worked with some brilliant nurses who looked after me, and an inspirational consultant Edmund Hey - one of the pioneers of neonatology (seminal work on resuscitation and thermal management in the 1960s!). We worked long hours as SHOs (residents) - 24 hours on, 24 hours off, for 2 weeks, knew the babies and families inside out, and then 5 daytime shi
Food for thought

What's the problem with protein in very preterm infants

I’m still learning about the potential to create an online community of like-minded people interested in improving nutrition and growth in preterm infants, especially in more resource limited settings. But as an introverted academic I struggle to write freely, without constantly over-thinking and feeling the need to continually cite every statement as if writing for academic journals. Anyhow, here goes … Credit to CNN 2023 for the photo - you’ll need to read the follow up post to understand the
Food for thought

NICU Nutrition - can a sub 1000g baby grow on breastmilk alone?

This is my first post. I may be slow to keep posting here as I also focus on the Butterfly Project and work with parents. But, please stick with me, and help me share what you know, and your insights on NICU nutrition, to the Global Majority. I want to share content for all things NICU nutrition related especially with a view for global collaboration. I want YOU to help me make a difference to the sick newborns in LMICs. I want to learn how best to translate knowledge to, and share good practi
99nicu News

CEPAS 2026 programme is now online- which got us thinking: how do YOU do conferences?

The interactive scientific programme for CEPAS 2026 is now online, and if you haven't explored it yet — check out https://www.cepas.org/scientific-programme. Built on more than 15 years of collaboration between the European Academy of Paediatrics, the European Society for Paediatric Research, and GFCNI, the CEPAS programme brings together science, clinical practice, advocacy and paediatric training in one place. Sessions, topics, networking opportunities — it's all there, and it's a lot. Which b
Department of Brilliant Ideas

Quality of life in adults born extremely preterm - and large gap between what we know and what we need to know

Sweden is a good country to be born extremely preterm. Neonatal intensive care is centralized and pretty much equally organized, and outcomes are regarded as good and similar throughout the country. Like in most other European countries, the welfare system enables equal access for all, practically at no cost for families. Sweden has been at the forefront of the slide of the ”window of viability”, i.e. at which gestational age extremely preterm infants are offered intensive care. I don’t know how
Department of Brilliant Ideas

🎉 20 Years of 99nicu 🎉

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 r
99nicu News

A New Society Dedicated to Fighting Newborn Sepsis

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 advancin
99nicu News

Building Bridges: 99nicu.org Welcomes NeoIPC

We are excited to share news that 99nicu.org has begun collaborating with NeoIPC, a European Union-funded initiative addressing hospital-acquired infections and antimicrobial resistance in neonatal units. What is NeoIPC? Nearly 1 in 10 European newborns requires NICU admission in their first days of life, which can expose them to antibiotic-resistant bacteria. NeoIPC is a European Union-funded research initiative focused on improving infection prevention and control (IPC) in NICUs. The project b
99nicu News

Our Global Village Is Calling — Will You Show Up?

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 wher
99nicu News

Submit your Research Abstract to CEPAS now!

The abstract submission deadline for CEPAS 2026 is extended until 15 April! Submit your research now for the opportunity to present your work at the Congress of the European Paediatric Academic Societies, taking place 28 - 31 October 2026 in Lyon, France. Submitting an abstract also gives you the opportunity to apply for prestigious investigator awards: EAP Young Investigator Award ESPR Bengt Robertson Award ESPR Early Career Investigator Prize In addition, ESPR Travel Grants are available fo
99nicu News

Why We're Asking You to Log In

TL;DR: What's Changed and Why You might have noticed while browsing 99nicu recently: reading the full discussions now requires you to be logged in. The first post of any thread remain visible to everyone, like the news updates and feeds. But to read replies and join the conversation, you'll need to log in as a member. We know this adds a step. Here's why we're doing it, and how we're working to make it worthwhile. ________________________________________ Why This Matters? For 20 years, 99nicu i
99nicu News

Should 99nicu launch a NICU Job Board?

For years, the 99nicu community has been a place where neonatal professionals connect, share knowledge, and support each other in improving care for the smallest patients. But could it also become a place where careers in neonatal care begin or take the next step? We’re exploring the idea of adding a Job Board to 99nicu — a dedicated space where NICUs and neonatal organizations could post job opportunities for nurses, neonatologists, fellows, researchers, and other neonatal professionals. Becaus
99nicu News

99NICU Becomes a Partner of the CEPAS Conference 28-31 Oct 2026

We are pleased to announce that the 99NICU Community has become an official partner of the CEPAS Conference, 28-31 Oct 2026. CEPAS is an international conference dedicated to advancing knowledge and collaboration in neonatal and pediatric care, a new biennial meeting of the European Academy of Paediatrics (EAP) and the European Society for Paediatric Research (ESPR). In addition, the Global Foundation for the Care of Newborn Infants (GFCNI) is co-organiser. Through this partnership, 99NICU will
99nicu News

New Translation Features: Neonatal care has no borders, and neither should our 99nicu community

Dear 99nicu friends, Some of you might have already noticed our 99nicu page has been going through small improvements. We keep thinking about how to make this page more friendly for you, our users. What would it take to make us a page you visit often, or maybe even your starting page? Last week I implemented an RSS feed with the newest papers in neonatal medicine. As 99nicu, we cannot guarantee you access to full texts, but at least we can show you new research being published every single day—f
99nicu News

99NICU - the online neonatal community reclaimed

We are approaching the 20 year anniversary of 99NICU and while thinking about our journey, we also came to explore the wider scope, including the feeling of a lost online neonatal community. When I first helped build 99NICU in 2006, it came from a very simple need: a safe place to talk about neonatal care with other health care professionals. Not just to exchange information, like over email, but create a community space to think, question and learn together from real clinical experience. At the
99nicu News

World Prematurity Day 2025

today, on November 17, is World Prematurity Day. We, being neonatal health care professionals, are much aware of the many unmet needs for preterm newborns. But, for the larger context, there is still much to do, creating awareness of the large public health challenge to reduce the burden of preterm birth. If you have some time today, join the WHO webinar about the launch of a new global clinical practice guide for Kangaroo Mother Care (KMC). Register here!
Department of Brilliant Ideas

the NICUVERSE - the solution to collapsed neonatal social media feeds?

I spent a few wonderful days at jENS 2025. While I had great days at this large neonatology conference, I also checked in into the various social media channels, to find out about missed out things. And realised… the neonatal social media is pretty dead ☹️ In the beginning, we had a pretty basic Internet. It offered the opportunity to search for information unilaterally and connecting people over electronic mail. Later came the embryo of the social web, taking the communication beyond emails. Th
99nicu News

Our Colleague Vicky Payne Recognized by the Neonatal Nurses Association in the UK

We are beyond thrilled to congratulate our colleague @Vicky Payne on receiving the Outstanding Contribution to Neonatal Nursing Award 2025 from the Neonatal Nurses Association in the UK. Vicky is outstanding in every sense of the word—not only exceptional, but truly standing out from conventional boundaries. Operating at the edges of traditional nursing roles, never quite fitting into a single box, and that's precisely what makes her extraordinary. Her willingness to be an outlier—to stand outsi
Department of Brilliant Ideas

Last night shift

I’ve done it, the last night shift. What in many ways defines us, devoted to neonatal care, is no longer part of my working life. One of my gifts in life has been endurance and grit, allowing a good amount of workload. It has enabled my long journey from the countryside where I grew up to an intellectually affluent position with many hats: one clinical, one academic, one for greater-good projects (like 99nicu!), and one as a startup entrepreneur. But with time and age usually come limitations, e

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