When we think about perinatal mental health, the spotlight often falls on parents and clinicians. But what about the babies? Dr Natalie Duffy, Neonatologist at Mercy Hospital for Women, is making sure their voices — tiny though they are — are heard loud and clear.
Nat’s research asks a simple but powerful question: What is life like for a baby in the NICU? To answer it, she’s spent more than 150 hours observing infants and gathering insights from parents and staff as part of her PhD at the University of Melbourne. What she’s discovered is inspiring: even in the most challenging circumstances, babies and families show incredible strength and resilience. Infants face bright lights, constant noise and frequent procedures, but they flourish when caregivers slow down, notice their cues and respond with calm voices, gentle touch and eye contact.
“Every interaction shapes the baby’s emerging sense of self,” Nat explains. “When we let infant behaviour guide our care, we nurture connection and honour the significance of every experience.”
Nat brings more than a decade of neonatal expertise to this work. At Mercy Hospital for Women Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, she leads the infant and family-centred neurodevelopmental care group and co-authored statewide guidelines on this approach. She also works with the PIPER (Paediatric Infant and Perinatal Emergency Retrieval) service at the Royal Children’s Hospital, trains clinicians through NBO Australasia, and co-developed the Newborn Traffic Light Tool© to support babies during pain and stress.
Her passion for infant wellbeing is gaining attention far beyond the hospital. Nat has published widely, spoken at international conferences, and appeared on podcasts like Emerging Minds and Care Out Loud. Most recently, she presented at Cool Topics 2025, Australia’s leading neonatal conference, where the theme was clear: listening to babies and learning from families matters as much as technology.
Nat’s work reminds us of something simple yet profound: even the tiniest patients have a voice. And when we listen, we give them the best start in life.
Dr Natalie Duffy presenting at the Cool Topics conference, 2025
