The simple acts of care that could help premature babies develop
HNN Admin
Can the most basic nurturing techniques help heal the traumas of premature birth? Leaving the womb too early puts babies at a higher risk for emotional, behavioral and developmental challenges later in life. William Brangham reports on one research effort in New York aimed at minimizing those impacts by strengthening the emotional connection between mother … Continued
The Tiny Bracelet That Saves Newborns from Hypothermia
The Development Set
India
HNN Admin
A new battery-powered device beeps when a premature baby’s temperature drops, alerting parents to care for them “Low birth weight newborns need special care and attention because they can easily become hypothermic,” said neonatologist Dr. Jagadish Somanna, a research associate at IGICH. Hypothermia is a condition where a baby’s core temperature falls below 36.5 C … Continued
Q&A with Vietnam’s inspiring Social Entrepreneur of the year
weforum.org
Vietnam
HNN Admin
Newborn babies shouldn’t die of cold or jaundice or breathing problems. But the technology that is readily available in the West – such as baby-warmers for premature or sick newborns – is inaccessible to millions of people in poorer parts of the world. According to the World Health Organization, 45% of all deaths of children … Continued
Busoga hospitals get Shs150m equipment
Daily Monitor
Uganda
HNN Admin
Makerere University School of Public Health in collaboration with the University of California, San Francisco, has donated equipment estimated at Shs155m to six hospitals in Busoga sub-region. The hospitals are; Jinja Regional Referral Hospital, Iganga General Hospital, Bugiri General Hospital, Kamuli General Hospital, Kamuli Mission Hospital and St Francis Buluba Mission Hospital in Mayuge District. … Continued
Experts’ Comments on World Prematurity Day
The Daily Star
HNN Admin
A roundtable on World Prematurity Day was held recently at The Daily Star with the support of Save the Children. Distinguished speakers deliberated on the issue and put forward some important recommendations for adoption by the policy makers in their efforts to reduce the rate of preterm deaths in the country. Highlights of the discussion … Continued
Health package to help save premature babies launched
Philippines
Mary Kinney
The Department of Health and the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth), along with the World Health Organization and UNICEF, have launched a health benefit package to help address some 300,000 premature and small newborn cases in the country every year.Statistics released by the DOH and UNICEF showed that in the Philippines, almost half of children … Continued
Nigeria gets action plan to cater for sick newborns
The Guardian
Nigeria
John Engels
The Federal Government has launched three new policy documents to tackle health of newborns. They are Nigeria Every Newborn Action Plan, Essential Newborn Care Course (ENCC) training package and National Chlorhexidine Scale Up Strategy document. The action plan is to serve as a roadmap that focuses on packages of interventions that address care during labour, … Continued
Highlights from the 2nd Uganda Maternal – Newborn Symposium
Makerere University Centre of Excellence for Maternal Newborn Health Research
Uganda
Kakaire Ayub Kirunda
Born 4 Months Early, This Tiny Survivor Beats the Odds
National Geographic
United States of America
John Engels
She was born at 23 weeks and six days, a period dubbed by the doctors as “the gray zone.” Kelley Benham and her husband, Tom French, had relied on technology through fertility treatments to have her. They named her Juniper and she weighed but one pound and four ounces. Born so prematurely, Juniper was given … Continued
Breast-feeding the microbiome
The New Yorker
John Engels
Every mammal mother produces complex sugars called oligosaccharides, but human mothers, for some reason, churn out an exceptional variety: so far, scientists have identified more than two hundred human milk oligosaccharides, or H.M.O.s. They are the third-most plentiful ingredient in human milk, after lactose and fats, and their structure ought to make them a rich … Continued