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Dear friends and supporters of GFCNI,
At GFCNI, we believe that progress in neonatal care must always center the needs of families. This month, we are proud to highlight several powerful examples from across our network. As we mark World Breastfeeding Week, we are emphasizing the critical role of breast milk for preterm and sick newborns – and the need to better support parents who want to breastfeed in the NICU.
We also celebrate the record-breaking Kangaroo Mother Care Marathon in Romania, which shows how closeness between parents and their infants truly transforms care. At the same time, we must look ahead: new technologies like artificial intelligence offer great potential but must be guided by strong ethical principles to serve all families fairly.
These stories reflect our mission – to protect, empower, and support newborns and their families worldwide. Thank you for being part of this shared effort.
Silke Mader and the GFCNI team
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© GFCNI
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A MILESTONE FOR FAMILY SUPPORT
Spanish Neopedia Launch Celebrated in Barcelona
At the end of June, around 70 guests – including healthcare professionals, families, and institutional representatives – came together in Barcelona to celebrate the launch of Neopedia in Spanish. Hosted by “Som Prematurs,” one of Neopedia’s collaborators, the event took place at the beautiful Recinte Modernista de Sant Pau. The program included keynote speeches from “Som Prematurs,” Chiesi Spain, and GFCNI, followed by a roundtable discussion. The panel included family representatives Marian Botello and Antoni Fernández; Leticia Bazo, neonatal nurse and President of the Spanish Society of Neonatal Nurses (SEEN); and Francesc Botet, neonatologist and honorary member of the Spanish Society of Neonatology (SENEO). Together, they highlighted the importance of clear, compassionate information and the need for more humanized, family-centered neonatal care. Now available in Spanish, Neopedia is expanding its reach – offering even more families the guidance and support they need throughout the neonatal journey.
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© GFCNI
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VOICES FROM NEONATAL CARE
Neopedia Featured on “The Incubator Podcast”
We are thrilled to share that Neopedia was featured on “The Incubator Podcast,” a US-based platform created by NICU doctors to promote excellence in neonatal care. The episode highlights the importance of providing accurate, accessible, and compassionate information to families of babies born preterm or sick. It features valuable insights from Dr. Tiffany Gladdis, perinatal/neonatal psychologist; Fabiana Bacchini, Executive Director of the “Canadian Premature Babies Foundation;” and Bianka Gallina, Communications Manager and Neopedia Project Co-Lead at GFCNI. Tune in to discover how Neopedia helps bridge the information gap in neonatal care – available in five languages to support families worldwide.
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© GFCNI
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WORLD BREASTFEEDING WEEK 2025
Protect and Promote Breastfeeding for the Best Start in Life
For preterm and sick infants in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), a mother’s own milk provides critical health benefits. Yet, these infants are significantly less likely to be breastfed than their healthy, full-term peers. This World Breastfeeding Week, GFCNI is highlighting the urgent need for stronger support systems for NICU mothers who want to breastfeed. Everyone has a role to play – from healthcare professionals offering evidence-based care to partners and loved ones providing encouragement and emotional support. Join us from August 1-7 to explore how we can better support breastfeeding in the NICU and beyond. Every journey matters – and every family deserves support.
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© UNITAR
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GLOBAL ADVOCACY SPOTLIGHT
GFCNI Breastfeeding Campaign and KMC Advocacy Recognized by UNITAR
We are honored that GFCNI’s advocacy work has been featured in the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) “Breastfeeding Education Initiative Results Report (2021-2025).” The report highlights two key contributions. First, our 2024 World Breastfeeding Week campaign, which called for stronger breastfeeding support across all settings – including workplaces, healthcare facilities, public spaces, and especially hospitals and NICUs. Second, Chairwoman Silke Mader was invited as a featured speaker in UNITAR’s global webinar series, where she underscored the essential role of Kangaroo Mother Care (KMC) in promoting successful breastfeeding for preterm infants. The full webinar series is available to access online, free of charge.
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© Dina Hediger
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LEADERSHIP RECOGNITION
A Parent’s Voice at the Table: Dina Hediger Joins Swiss Neonatology Board
GFCNI warmly congratulates Dina Hediger, founder of our partner parent organization “Frühchen Schweiz” (“Preemies Switzerland”), on her election to the board of the Swiss Society of Neonatology – the first non-medical professional to serve in this capacity. Her appointment marks a significant step forward in embedding parental voices in neonatal leadership. This milestone affirms the value of lived experience in clinical decision-making and paves the way for stronger family-integrated care in Switzerland. Dina’s presence on the board enhances the dialogue between families and professionals, ensuring that care models, guidelines, and innovations reflect the realities and needs of those most impacted – newborns and their families.
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© ARNIS
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PARTNER SPOTLIGHT
Romania’s KMC Marathon Breaks New Ground
This year’s national Kangaroo Mother Care (KMC) Competition in Romania set a new record: 1,606 hours of skin-to-skin contact across eight hospitals. Led by our partner parent organization “ARNIS,” the campaign mobilized healthcare teams and families to champion this life-saving practice. With growing national engagement, strong clinical impact, and a focus on family-centered care, Romania’s KMC movement continues to gain momentum – hug by hug. GFCNI warmly congratulates all participants for their outstanding commitment to newborn care.
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© NEC Society
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EVENT PREVIEW
NEC Symposium 2025: Advancing Science, Saving Lives
From September 7-10, Chicago will host the world’s largest meeting on necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC). The NEC Symposium 2025 convenes over 300 clinicians, researchers, and patient-family leaders to drive innovation in understanding, preventing, diagnosing, and treating NEC. With more than 20 expertly curated sessions, the symposium offers a transformative space for scientific exchange and collaboration. By uniting medical insight with lived experience, the event reinforces a shared commitment to protecting the most vulnerable patients – and to building a future without NEC. Registration is now open.
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© Pixabay
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NEONATAL PALLIATIVE CARE
Comfort and Compassion for the Tiniest Patients
When curative treatment is no longer possible, neonatal palliative care (NPC) offers a compassionate, family-centered approach to support infants and their loved ones. A new systematic review shows that NPC improves quality of care, eases infant suffering, and strengthens emotional support for families and healthcare teams. Discover how integrating NPC in NICUs can transform the experience of even the most difficult moments – for both families and professionals.
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© Pexels
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MENTAL HEALTH RESEARCH
Early Holding, Stronger Minds: How Immediate Skin-to-Skin Care Supports Parents
A new clinical trial from Sweden and Norway shows that immediate skin-to-skin contact (SSC) after very preterm birth offers more than bonding – it supports parents’ mental health. The study found that early SSC significantly reduced depression symptoms in mothers and eased both anxiety and depression in fathers during the first weeks of their infant’s life. Fathers who participated in immediate SSC showed no signs of clinical anxiety or depression at term age. These findings suggest that starting SSC at birth can be a simple yet powerful tool to protect parental well-being during an emotionally vulnerable time.
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© Pexels
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ETHICS IN INNOVATION
Can AI in Neonatal Care Be Ethical and Equitable?
As artificial intelligence (AI) gains traction in neonatal care, it offers new tools to predict outcomes and guide treatment – but also raises critical ethical concerns. A recent review examines how AI aligns with the core principles of medical ethics: beneficence, non-maleficence, autonomy, and justice. The findings highlight a pressing need for safeguards to ensure fairness, transparency, and parental involvement. In neonatal care, where decisions affect those who cannot speak for themselves, ethics must lead innovation.
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