NICU 101 is a website which celebrates the life and accomplishments of preemies and their families. The concept behind NICU 101 was inspired by the premature birth of our own daughter at 31 weeks, and her subsequent 7 week stay in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). This time was extremely difficult for our entire family, and we found it especially difficult to find good sources for information and products for our tiny little girl. We were also struck by the limited availability of typical baby products like birth announcements and baby books for our special situation. With around 500,000 babies being born prematurely each year, and many others being hospitalized in the neonatal intensive care unit due to birth defects or other medical concerns, we felt inspired to tackle that problem and help those families affected by life in the NICU.

The founder and president of NICU 101, Kristie McNealy, MD, is a recent graduate of University of Colorado School of Medicine. The birth of her own daughter at 31 weeks caused her to indefinitely postpone her residency training and medical practice. Instead she has devoted herself to education and advocacy for preemies and their families. In addition to designing new products for NICU 101, she is actively involved in promoting family centered care in the NICU, and designs educational materials for physicians and nurses about life in the NICU from the family’s perspective.