The first learning session was held during an icy week in the middle of January and 11 of the 13 teams committed to increasing the number of mother’s who provide milk for their premature babies were able to attend, though many teams were smaller than planned. Teams worked to create plans to test activities believed to be “potentially better practices” when they returned home. Didactic sessions were led by Laurie Dunn, MD and Polly Sisk, PhD, who are leading the initiative with Linda Smith, RN, MSN. Family faculty planning to speak with the teams about the experience of care were unable to attend because of the weather. While testing new ways of delivering care, nurses are continuing to collect information about care practices and processes during the first 28 days a baby is in a Newborn Critical Care Center. These teams are meeting monthly during the active phase of the initiative and sharing what’s working as well as what’s not working, offering each other support and reflection on activities and data collection.
