2020 Vol. 13 No. 2

NIDCAP Federation 
International (NFI)

Founded in 2001, the NFI is an  
international, non-profit membership 
organization. The NFI encourages highly 
attuned implementation of the Newborn 
Individualized Developmental Care 
and Assessment Program (NIDCAP) 
for all intensive, special care and 
newborn nurseries around the world. 
The NFI serves as the authoritative 
leader for research, development, and 
dissemination of NIDCAP, and for the 
certification of trainers, healthcare 
professionals, and nurseries in the 
NIDCAP approach.

Developmental 
 Observer

The Official Newsletter of the NIDCAP® Federation International

“Rejoice with your family in the 
beautiful land of life.”

Albert Einstein

Table of Contents

The Strength of NFI's Collective 
Experience  ................................................ 1 

Editorial  ...................................................... 2 

Putting Beauty at the Heart of the 
Healing Process  ....................................... 3

Family Voices ............................................. 5

Reflections on Infant Feeding ................. 8

Global Perspective of Developmental 
Care – Cyprus  ......................................... 10

My NIDCAP Journey as an 
Interpreter  ............................................... 12

NIDCAP Training Centers Around the 
World  ........................................................ 16

The Science Desk  .................................... 18

Publications  ............................................. 21

Poet's Corner  ........................................... 25

NIDCAP on the Web  ................................ 27

ISSN: 2689-2650 (online)
DO 13:2 full issue DOI: 10.14434/do.v13i2.31223 

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The Strength of the NFI’s 
Collective Experience
Deborah Buehler, PhD

President, NIDCAP Federation International 

DOI: 10.14434/do.v13i2.31301

One of my very early experiences as a NIDCAP 
Trainer took me to Falun, Sweden. While I 

was there, I shared NIDCAP’s introductory lecture 
and guided a few introductory bedside observations. 
With that visit, the healthcare team learned about 
NIDCAP and a new group of NIDCAP trainees was launched. What I remember most 
about that trip was how much I learned. My understandings of what was and what 
could be possible within hospital care was completely expanded by the people I met and 
the care I observed. During one particular NIDCAP observation, I vividly remember a 
mother and her baby and the nurse caring for them. They were so beautifully attuned 
with one another that I was mesmerized. Over the several days I visited the nursery, I 
learned that aspects of medical and nursing care could be done in different ways than 
I had seen practiced in U.S. hospitals. During the breaks of my lecture, I remember 
a physical therapist leading the whole audience, of physicians, nurses and therapists, 
through joyful stretching breaks with children’s songs, which included The Itsy-Bitsy 
Spider. It was evident these small, yet powerful moments of silliness were remarkable 
for the respect and cohesiveness of the whole healthcare team. I especially remember 
this NIDCAP training session, nearly 30 years ago, in part, because it was my first 
solo international trip which posed challenges on many levels for me. Perhaps being 
stretched in new ways created opportunities to be open to seeing and being shaped 
by my experiences. This moment in time captured my imagination and continues to 
inform my NIDCAP training and mentoring of trainees and health care professionals 
and their resolve to evolve their care to be ever more supportive.

Deborah Buehler, PhD

Continued on page 2

Collaboration and support for and 
from each infant's family is the core of 
NIDCAP.

NIDCAP Care 
in the Moment

Family Strength



2  •  2020  •  Developmental Observer

2020 is continually described as unprecedented (our world 
has never faced this scale of international pandemic before) 
and as creating a new normal (life is very quickly changing as 
we adapt around the world). Everything appears to be affected. 
This most certainly includes access to and the experience of 
hospitalizations and healthcare. Within newborn and infant 
intensive and special care nurseries, parents are being separated 
from their newborns and young infants because of hospital 
infection precautions. Healthcare professionals are tasked with 
providing medical care in the face of tremendous barriers, 
workloads and sacrifices. How do healthcare professionals, 
and the families they serve, understand and navigate all of this 
extraordinary adversity? One key to these understandings may 
be hearing and reflecting on the stories, the struggles and the 
triumphs, of everyone who is part of these systems of care.  
Brené Brown, PhD, LMSW, a research professor, wrote “maybe 
stories are just data with a soul.” Families’ and professionals’ lived 
experiences, including ones of pain and suffering, may provide 
insight, inspiration and direction for healthcare’s next steps. 
Much has been written on how hardship impacts individuals. 
For instance, Kaufman and Gregoire (2015) stated that 
“experiences of extreme adversity show us our own strength.” 
(p.146) Beyond survival, these authors optimistically described 
how individuals may also thrive with adversity. This capacity for 
resilience is a profound strength that offers stability and growth 
for individuals as well as for healthcare systems. 

This unprecedented year is also creating challenges and a new 
normal for the NFI and NIDCAP efforts. NIDCAP Training 

Centers and their Trainers are faced with how to educate and 
guide trainees and hospitals with in-person and travel restrictions. 
This comes at a time when individual and system-wide support is 
needed more than ever. How will the NFI navigate the short and 
long-term challenges ahead? To thrive as an organization in this 
rapidly changing world, the NFI must respond to the incredible 
realities faced by NIDCAP Trainers around the world. Examining 
difficulties, strengths and opportunities are crucial at this time. 
Drawing on the remarkable skill, passion and experience within 
our community, we must listen, question, discuss, reflect, learn 
and create with one another. Innovations for training, education 
and support may emerge as the NFI’s members, its NIDCAP 
Trainers and supporters, continue to share their own experiences 
and perspectives with one another. Our global NFI community 
offers tremendous strength and wisdom to draw upon for stability 
and direction. Support for and from one another may lead to 
inspiration of creative possibilities to build future directions. The 
NFI, and its members, have a tremendous opportunity to rise 
up to meet this extremely difficult moment in time. How 2020 
captures our collective hearts and imaginations and informs our 
next steps will ensure that the NFI and NIDCAP’s capacities and 
reach thrive for years to come for newborns and infants and their 
families.

Reference:

Kaufman, S. B. & Gregoire, C. (2015). Wired to Create: Unraveling the Mysteries of the Creative 
Mind. New York, NY: Perigee Books.

Welcome to the second issue 

for 2020. What a year it has 

been so far. There have been 

many challenges for the NIDCAP 

community. Resilience is a prime 

focus at the moment. 

This issue has a theme of 

reflection from our global 

community. There are a variety of 

interesting perspectives. Michiko 

Doi reflects on her journey as 

a NIDCAP translator in Japan, 

giving us a unique glimpse into her world. Bronagh McAlinden 

from Australia reflects on her observations of two newborn 

feeding episodes showing the importance of close observation. 

Ita Litmanovitz joins us from the Science Desk reflecting on the 

effects of COVID-19 through her examination of stress on the 

developing brain, and in our new Poet’s Corner, Julia Giesen, 

NIDCAP Professional, reflects on her NIDCAP Training through  

her poetry. In our Family Voices column we hear a father's 

journey through the NICU with his twin daughters.

These manuscripts show the power of reflection, not only as 

a learning strategy but as a way of enriching the experience of 

the journey. We journey to Barcelona, Spain to hear about the 

work of the NIDCAP Training Centers and we travel to Cyprus in 

the Mediterranean to learn about developmental care initiatives. 

The Rimini team share their beautiful story of their using beauty 

to minimise stress in the NICU. Deborah Buehler, President of 

NFI shares her essay on what she sees as the strength of the 

NFI collective during these challenging times. The global spread 

of NIDCAP is evident with contributions from Japan, Australia, 

Canada, Israel, Italy, Spain, Cyprus and USA. We are certainly a 

global community.

Kaye Spence AM
Senior Editor – Developmental Observer 
Adjunct Associate Professor / Clinical Nurse Consultant 
Australasian NIDCAP Training Centre / Sydney Children’s 
Hospitals Network / Western Sydney University / Australia

DOI: 10.14434/dov13i2.31064

Kaye Spence, AM

Greetings from the Editor