GFCNI

17/08/2026

❓ 𝐒𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐈 𝐰𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐦𝐲 𝐛𝐚𝐛𝐲 𝐭𝐨 𝐟𝐞𝐞𝐝?

It can be difficult to wake a peacefully sleeping baby, and many parents wonder whether they should let their baby sleep or wake them for a feeding. 💜

💡 The answer is: sometimes.
It depends on your baby’s age, health, and individual needs. Many preterm and low-birth-weight babies, as well as babies recovering from an illness, may need regular feedings, even if they don’t wake up on their own. This helps ensure they receive the nutrition they need to grow and develop.

👶 When should I wake my baby?
Your healthcare team may recommend waking your baby at regular intervals, including overnight, to ensure they receive enough nutrition. This can be especially important if your baby:
🔹 was born preterm or with a low birth weight.
🔹 is recovering from an illness.
🔹 is not yet gaining weight as expected.
🔹 is very sleepy and misses feeding opportunities.

🤲 How can I gently wake my baby?
If your healthcare team recommends waking your baby, you can try the following:
🔹 Skin-to-skin contact.
🔹 Change their diaper before feeding them.
🔹 Gently rub their back, hands, or feet.
🔹 Undress them to their diaper if the room is warm enough.
🔹 Keep the room calm with soft lighting.

🌙 When can I stop waking my baby for feedings?
As your baby grows and gains weight, they will often begin to wake up on their own when they are hungry. Your healthcare team will let you know when it is appropriate to transition to feeding based on your baby’s hunger cues.

✨ Every baby is different. Your healthcare team will work with you to create a feeding plan that meets your baby's individual needs. Contact your healthcare team if your baby is unusually difficult to wake, is feeding much less than usual, or if you are worried about their feeding or growth.

💬 Did you have to wake your baby for feedings after coming home from the NICU or hospital? Share your experience in the comments – it may help reassure another family! 💜

15/08/2026

For babies born too soon, every milestone begins with care. 🌸

On International Neonatal Nurses Day, we celebrate the nurses who support babies and families from their first days in the NICU through the transition home and beyond. By teaching, encouraging, and empowering parents, they help lay the foundation for the follow-up care that allows small babies to reach their full potential.

Thank you to all neonatal nurses for your devotion and expertise! With one out of every ten babies being born preterm, your work is essential to so many babies and families around the world.

📅 November 15 – 3 months to go until World Prematurity Day 2026
💜 Mark the new date and join us!

12/08/2026

In 𝐒𝐮𝐝𝐚𝐧, many families face 𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐨𝐮𝐬 𝐛𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐫𝐬 to accessing even the most basic care for their newborns.

“Global medical partnerships can make a significant difference,” says 𝐒𝐡𝐚𝐝𝐚𝐧 𝐀𝐭𝐢𝐟 of Sudanese parent and patient initiative مبادرة "ليحيى" للأطفال الخدج Le Yahia" Initiative for Premature Babies". She shares how 𝐥𝐢𝐦𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐜𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐳𝐞𝐝 𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐞, essential equipment like incubators and oxygen, and ongoing 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐟𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐭 continue to impact newborn survival and family well-being.

But she also points to a path forward – through 𝐠𝐥𝐨𝐛𝐚𝐥 𝐜𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧. Strengthening health systems, training healthcare professionals, and ensuring access to life-saving medicines and equipment can help close these gaps. 🌍💜

We agree with Shadan Atif: Every newborn deserves a fair chance – no matter where, when, or how they are born.

🎥 This video is part of 𝐅𝐚𝐜𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐆𝐅𝐂𝐍𝐈, highlighting perspectives and solutions from our global network that others can learn from and adapt.

10/08/2026

💬 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐖𝐞𝐞𝐤: 𝐅𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧

Did you know that even the best nutrition sometimes needs a boost? 💜

Fortification means adding extra nutrients to mother’s own milk or donor human milk. This helps meet the additional nutritional needs of some preterm, sick, and low-birth-weight babies.

💡 Good to know:
Mother’s own milk is the best nutrition for babies, including those born preterm. However, some babies need extra protein, energy, vitamins, and minerals to support healthy growth and development during their first weeks of life. Fortification provides these nutrients while preserving the unique benefits of human milk.

👶 When is fortification needed?
Some babies, especially those born very preterm, sick, or with a low birth weight, have higher nutritional needs than mother’s own milk or donor human milk alone can meet.

Babies born too soon miss out on important nutrients they would normally receive through the placenta during the last weeks of pregnancy. Fortification helps provide the extra nutrients needed to support:

📈 Healthy growth and weight gain
🧠 Brain development
🦴 Strong bones
❤️ The healthy development of the body’s organs

📌 Important:
Fortification does not replace mother’s own milk or donor human milk. It simply provides the extra nutrients some babies need while allowing them to continue receiving all the benefits of human milk.

👩‍⚕️ How is fortification given?
Fortifiers are mixed into mother’s own milk or donor human milk before feeding. Your healthcare team will decide if and for how long your baby needs fortification, based on factors such as gestational age, birth weight, growth, and overall health. Some babies only need fortification during their NICU stay, while others may benefit from it even after going home.

💜 Every baby is unique. When fortification is needed, it helps give babies the nutrients they need to grow, develop, and get the best possible start in life. ✨

07/08/2026

As comes to a close, we would like to thank everyone who joined us in raising awareness about the importance of Kangaroo Mother Care (KMC). 💜

Throughout World Breastfeeding Week, we explored how keeping mothers and babies together through early, continuous, and prolonged skin-to-skin contact can support breastfeeding, strengthen bonding, and help babies thrive from the very beginning. 🤱🦘

For preterm, low-birthweight, and sick newborns, KMC is more than a simple intervention. It is an evidence-based model of care that can improve outcomes for babies and families alike.

✨ Sometimes, strengthening what works begins with something simple: closeness. 💗

Thank you to all the medical societies, parent and patient organizations, and supporters who helped make our campaign a success. 🙏

🤝 Together, we can continue to protect and promote breastfeeding for the best start in life. 🌱

04/08/2026

💜 This , we focus on strengthening what works: Kangaroo Mother Care. 🦘🤱

Kangaroo Mother Care (KMC) is an evidence-based model of care for preterm and low-birthweight babies. It involves early, continuous, and prolonged skin-to-skin contact between a parent and baby, along with support for breastfeeding. In practice, this means holding your baby skin-to-skin on your chest as early as possible, for as long as possible, and as often as possible – ideally, 8–24 hours each day. Every hour of skin-to-skin contact matters! 💖

Although it may look simple, KMC has powerful, proven effects on both you and your baby.

🤱 KMC promotes breast milk production:
When your baby lies on your chest, your body releases hormones, such as oxytocin. This helps your milk “come in” and maintains a steady milk supply. Studies show that KMC can improve breastfeeding success and help mothers breastfeed for longer.

👶 KMC supports your baby’s feeding instincts:
Your smell, warmth, and heartbeat are signals that naturally trigger instincts such as rooting and searching for the breast.

🌡️ KMC helps stabilize your NICU baby:
In the NICU, KMC helps babies stay warm, calm, and stable. This allows them to use their energy for growth, development, and learning to feed, instead of struggling to regulate their body functions.

💞 KMC strengthens bonding:
Skin-to-skin contact reduces stress for both you and your baby and helps you bond, even in a challenging environment like the NICU. This close bond can also support breastfeeding.

All of this is especially important for babies born too soon or sick. 💜
Many of them are not yet able to coordinate sucking, swallowing, and breathing. KMC helps babies stay calm and physiologically stable, which supports the development of feeding readiness and helps prepare them for breastfeeding.

By supporting breastfeeding, promoting feeding readiness, and keeping families together, KMC helps give babies the best possible start in life.

✨ Sometimes, what works best is simply keeping parents and babies together.

03/08/2026

❓ 𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐊𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐚𝐫𝐨𝐨 𝐌𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐂𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐬𝐮𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭 𝐛𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐟𝐞𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠?

Breastfeeding can sometimes be challenging, especially if your baby is born preterm or sick. The good news is that Kangaroo Mother Care (KMC) can help. 💜

💡 KMC is an evidence-based care model that includes early, continuous, and prolonged skin-to-skin contact together with breastfeeding support.

🤱 How does KMC support breastfeeding?

🔹 KMC supports feeding readiness.
Before babies can breastfeed, they must be ready for oral feeding. KMC helps babies stay warm and supports stable breathing and heart rate. It also helps them stay calm and alert enough to feed. These physiological benefits support feeding readiness and help prepare your baby for breastfeeding.

🔹 KMC encourages feeding cues.
Being close to your chest allows your baby to smell, hear, and feel you. This helps them show feeding cues, such as rooting or bringing their hands to their mouth, making it easier to begin breastfeeding when they are ready.

🔹 KMC promotes milk production.
Skin-to-skin contact stimulates the release of hormones, such as oxytocin, which help your milk “come in” and maintain a steady supply.

🔹 KMC fosters successful breastfeeding.
Once babies are ready to feed, KMC helps them stay calm and physiologically stable during breastfeeding. This supports more effective feeding and continued breastfeeding.

🔬 Research shows that KMC can increase breastfeeding rates and support longer breastfeeding duration, particularly for preterm and low-birthweight babies.

🤍 If you are having difficulty breastfeeding, don’t hesitate to ask for support. Your healthcare team or a lactation consultant can help you develop the best feeding plan for you and your baby. ✨

🗓️ We’re in the middle of World Breastfeeding Week! This year’s GFCNI campaign highlights how Kangaroo Mother Care helps protect and promote breastfeeding for the best start in life. 🌱

👉 Follow along throughout the week!

31/07/2026

𝐌𝐞𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐟𝐮𝐥 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐡 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐦𝐞𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐟𝐮𝐥 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩𝐬 🔬🤝🌍

We were delighted to be part of the ERS pre-congress webinar series introducing the theme of the 𝐄𝐑𝐒 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟔: 'United for Better Breathing – Partnership between patients, clinicians and researchers'.

🎙️ During the webinar, Dr. Christina Tischer and Dr. Sylvia Obermann presented the BronQ Family project and showed how co-creation between parents, patients, healthcare professionals, and researchers helps shape research that truly reflects families' needs and leads to better care.

💜 A heartfelt thank you to the European Respiratory Society (ERS) and the European Lung Foundation (ELF) for the opportunity to share our work. Thank you to everyone who joined the webinar!

🔗 Learn more about BronQ Family: https://www.gfcni.org/research/bronqfamily

-Creation

31/07/2026

Are you ready to join us for ? 🤱💜

For babies born too soon, too small, or sick, breastfeeding can be a journey. And often, it begins with something simple but powerful: closeness. 💞

This year, we’re focusing on Kangaroo Mother Care (KMC). This care practice combines continuous and prolonged skin-to-skin contact, starting as soon as possible after birth, with exclusive breastfeeding whenever possible. KMC is more than just a moment of closeness. It helps babies feel safe, supports early feeding, and can make a real difference for babies and their parents. ✨

🤝 Let’s work together to “Protect and Promote Breastfeeding for the Best Start in Life” and highlight how strengthening effective practices, such as KMC, can support families and help babies thrive from the very beginning. 🌱

Thank you to all the medical societies and parent and patient organizations that support our campaign! 🙏

30/07/2026

We are honored to see BronQ Family featured as part of the Global Voices campaign! 💜📢

🤝 A wonderful recognition of the collaboration and teamwork behind our research. Thank you to everyone who makes this project possible!

🔗 Learn more about BronQ Family: https://www.gfcni.org/research/bronqfamily

💬 "Our experiences help shape the research, and our voices matter." - Maria Valls, parent representative, Spain

Led by the GFCNI, the BronQ Family Project involves parents and patients as equal partners in research, helping to shape studies exploring the long-term impact of bronchopulmonary dysplasia ( ) on children and their families.

This is one of the partnership stories we are showcasing through the campaign ahead of the .

💬 How has lived experience helped shape research, care or support in your community?

👉 Share your story: https://woobox.com/ayfu33

Your experience could help inspire the global lung health community. Share your story today.

European Respiratory Society