The Little Steps team

Professor Welma Lubbe – owner and master trainer

Prof Welma Lubbe is a specialist midwife, neonatal nurse, and founder of Little Steps®, South Africa’s first evidence-based prematurity support organization. Little Steps® provides online premmie parenting education and collaborates with partners like Your Baby and Pregnancy magazine, Parent Sense, and various media outlets.

Welma is also a professor at North-West University, where she is the director of the NuMIQ research area, with her individual research focused on neurodevelopmental supportive care for preterm infants. With over 50 published peer-reviewed articles and numerous national and international presentations, she is internationally recognized in her field. Welma is passionate about empowering parents of premature babies, helping them reclaim their role in their child’s care.

She serves on various international neonatal boards and panels, including the Council of International Neonatal Nurses, Graven’s Developmental Care Consensus, the Separation and Closeness Experiences in the Neonatal Environment (SCENE) research group and the International Advisory Board of the Journal of Neonatal Nursing. Welma is also the author of Prematurity – Adjusting Your Dream (2008 & 2021). For more of her work, visit her profile on Google Scholar. 

Annelie van der Westhuyzen – Master training

Mrs Annelie van der Westhuyzen is a speech-language therapist who holds a master’s degree in bio-ethics and health law titled: The use of pacifiers for non-nutritive sucking in South African neonatal intensive care units: ethical considerations. She works with preterm infants in hospital, has 15 years clinical experience, holds a part-time position with the University of Stellenbosch, Speech pathology department and is based in Cape Town.