2023 • Developmental Observer • 25 N I D C A P T R A I N E R S M E E T I N G 2 0 2 3 Dear Heidi, You wouldn’t believe the trip Dorothy and I had to get to the meeting. We flew from Newark, New Jersey to Copenha- gen, Denmark to Riga, Latvia, and then to Stuttgart, Germany. It’s so amazing that we are coming together in person after three years because of the pandemic. I’ve been so looking forward to reconnecting with everyone and renewing relation- ships, and yet, my joy and anticipation are caught and held back by the undeniable absence of you, Heidi, our esteemed leader in all things NFI. There has been an exhausting effort by so many, especially those here in your native country to ensure a productive and successful meeting, to move forward as best as possible with- out you, fulfilling the mission of the NFI, and honoring all that is your legacy. Deborah formally dedicated this meeting and our work here to you. As we were easing back into our in-person format this year, we have managed a hybrid format, which is pretty cool. We have 94 attendees in person plus 54 online for a total of 148 participants from 27 different countries. Unusually this year, we began with the one-day open symposium looking at NIDCAP on the individual, the family, and the political level. Our German hosts had planned well to create a comfortable and aesthetically pleasing environment. Believe it or not, we are in a beautiful glass building of WALA which researches and develops medicinal and cosmetic prod- ucts. OMG Heidi, I thought I saw you at breakfast this morn- ing, wishful thinking can be so powerful. In thinking about NIDCAP on the individual level, Oskar Jenni presented much optimism in terms of improvement of long-term outcomes due to the plasticity of the preterm brain in response to environmental stimuli. It was also a refreshing review of basic brain development. Through Ingeborg Krägeloh-Mann we were able to turn our attention to the various degrees of injury effects in light of the brain’s plasticity with fascinating examples correlating brain imaging to long- term effects. Jacques Sizun then really got us thinking about how to translate brain development research into practice. Heidi, I couldn’t help remembering the infamous slide Jacques showed so long ago with the suggestion that NIDCAP was the new magic tonic being sold in the old west of the United States. So many of us have grown so much in our understanding of this work and Jacques has been such a strong advocate on such a national level for NIDCAP. Unfortunately, Professor Brisch was unable to join us so we missed the twenty-year outcome presentation. Dorothy Vittner and I filled in with our approach toward NIDCAP enhancing the family experience. As usual, Dorothy managed to get not only a quote from our dear friend John Chappel but also a photo of Cathy Daguio. Even though many people might not have known them as key NFI members who have died. Maybe you have seen them Heidi, I hope so. While attending NIDCAP on a family level we were all quite impressed with Dominique Haumont’s success in getting NIDCAP on a national level and she reminded us that you told her “The object is not to forget, but to remember to go on”. That was a lot easier when you were physically present with us Heidi, but we will do our best. Remember Kelly Jannsens Reflections on the 33rd Annual NIDCAP Trainers Meeting, Bad Boll, Germany DOI: 10.14434/do.v16i1.35779gretchen Lawhon NFI President Deborah Buehler, PhD “So many of us have grown so much in our understanding of this work” 26 • 2023 • Developmental Observer N I D C A P T R A I N E R S M E E T I N G 2 0 2 3 from Leuven? She told us of their amazing journey in getting NIDCAP on to political agendas through the development of personal relationships. And, as you know Heidi, we could not discuss NIDCAP, families, and a political agenda while in Germany, especially without having Silke Mader share her passion and advocacy for this topic. Honestly, I totally admire Silke’s energy and zeal, but I feel inadequate in her estimation. We know political work is critical, but I am totally occupied with my clinical work. Silke continues to be the most powerful family advocate I know. Our one-day open symposium ended in a very fitting manner with a presentation by a family sharing their journey with their son Mattis in newborn intensive care four years ago. They were very effective in communicating important messages to all of us. Friday evening, we all turned our attention to you Heidi. First I went on a tour of the WALA medicinal herb garden. Glo- ria McAnulty reminded me that it would be a good connection with you because of your son Christopher and the Camphill phi- losophy. Then there was a wonderful experience created so that prior to dinner we had the opportunity to walk a candle-lit path with inspirational messages you had given to many of us. In fact, fifty NFI members shared how you inspired each of them. It was a beautiful evening; the moon had risen, and it was a quiet med- itative atmosphere. I will admit that for several of us, we actively grieved. I hope you felt the huge outpouring of love from all of us. As our dinner was finishing up, Deborah Buehler gifted us with one of her wonderful slide show retrospectives of your life which ended on a positive note of your love for dancing, which was next on our agenda. Good morning, Heidi, it’s me gretchen, still in Germa- ny, without you. After what nearly everyone felt was a very successful day we then launched into our routine of accom- plishments and overview of training. Kaye Spence and Stina Klemming did a really innovative approach by creating a video of each center’s report, both visually and in the representative’s own voice. I thought this method was fantastic! Of course, you and Frank were included in the National NIDCAP Training Center’s report and, by the way, the Board approved Sam But- ler as a NIDCAP Trainer. She will do an excellent job as Center Director having learned everything from you, our best mentor. We continued our meeting with the Quality Assurance Adviso- ry Council session on nurturing NIDCAP trainers with small group work sessions. Thankfully Graciela Basso has agreed to continue as Chair of the QAAC. As usual, we had quite a few thought-provoking abstracts presented both in person and through Zoom. You would love to know the new directions that Nadine Griffiths and Natascia Simone are taking with nurses’ perceptions as well as parental partnerships. We had a good section on breastfeeding and oxy- tocin from Adi Freund-Azaria in Israel and Dorothy Vittner’s ongoing work. Additionally, we had good and interesting pre- sentations on music therapy and on the quality of sleep. This morning both Marzieh Hasanpour, in person, and Saadieh Masri, on Zoom, were able to present their work on empathy and developmental care in Lebanon, respectively. Our journal club continues and this year we had three articles including maternal bonding through therapeutic cooling, a small wins framework, and severe BPD. Heidi, it was another very full day and then our hosts took us all to Tübingen for a wondrous evening filled with a punting boat ride, an old city walking tour, and an incredible dining experience. The boats were like authentic primitive swan boats at Boston Public Garden, and there were swans in the canal! I got the best Captain; Captain Jonas and he even sat and played a jazz song on his guitar for us. I have to admit Heidi, that the city walk was quite challenging for me, but so interesting and a perfect The 2022 Trainers Meeting was a hybrid with 94 attendees in person, and an additional 54 attending online 2023 • Developmental Observer • 27 N I D C A P T R A I N E R S M E E T I N G 2 0 2 3 experience of the town. I can certainly see why you so enjoyed all the time spent training here. I ended up with a bit of a private tour with Christian Poets. The restaurant was just amazing, and we had a wonderful time with memories to last forever. So, Heidi, this is our third day, and everyone is tired and we have the important work of the NIDCAP Nursery Program as well as the NFI Membership meeting. You would have been so proud of Sam Butler for her presentation on using the NNP as a systems change agent tool. Our NFI Membership meeting had many of the usual tensions; some questions about the bud- get that just needed clarification. Of course, whenever some- one does not get elected, it is a little difficult because we want everyone to be satisfied. Then, although it had just been an undercurrent, the tensions between FINE and NIDCAP pulled us underwater a bit. With all our excellent clinicians and NFI members, surely, we can figure this out. If you can send us any good vibrations, please do, Heidi. The best part of having a hybrid meeting was having some of our old friends such as Elsa Sell and Roger Sheldon join us. We had Bjorn Westrup with us on Zoom throughout the meeting and at one point, he was walking his dog as he chimed in on an issue. Heidi, all in all, this was an excellent although emotionally painful meeting for many of us. Thank you for all you have given us. Your loving friend, gretchen. Some of the 54 remote attendees Supporting hands NIDCAP Care in the Moment