My fragile baby - An ESPR mini-documentary of life and work in the context of the NICU

The many advances in paediatric medicine and neonatal care are a testament to the tireless dedication of countless medical professionals from all areas of perinatal medicine: Bench-top researchers, obstetricians, neonatologists, nurses, allied health professionals and, last but not least, patients and parents themselves. Together, we have made truly phenomenal progress.

To highlight these achievements, the European Society for Paediatric Research (ESPR) recently partnered with the artist and three-time World Press photo winner Giulio di Sturco and his team. Inspired by a chance meeting, Giulio, himself father of a preterm infant, and ESPR immediate past-president Charles C Roehr had the joint vision to create a contemporaneous documentary of life and work in the context of the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). The result is a short film which gives a real-life portrait of the progress of a 26-week preterm baby boy infant, baby Ezra, from the first moments of life, how his family received him and cared for him, from the NICU to their home. We hear Ezra's mother report on their often times challenging journey from delivery to their life in the home, and about the help they received. The film shows details of the daily work of the many professional teams caring for Ezra in the NICU, and we hear from the clinicians involved in Ezra's care, learning what motivates them in their often challenging work.

The documentary gives voice not only to clinicians and researchers but also to members of the ESPR, sharing their vision of how to develop and apply research to improve the lives of infants, children and their families.