One of the youngest members of our family arrived earlier than expected. I caught a glimpse of his tiny head lying on his dad’s chest while I Skyped with my aunt in Bogotá, Colombia. She told me that she and her husband were taking turns holding their baby, Jorge, against...
In 2003, I was 30 weeks pregnant when I gave birth to my first baby daughter. Like many other moms at the neonatal unit, I had feelings of guilt, incompetence, and helplessness following my preterm delivery. The medical care of the baby, although often necessary, only exacerbated this feeling of...
Delegates from 10 countries will gather in Blantyre, Malawi, October 24–26 to discuss how to accelerate the adoption of life-saving care for premature babies, especially increasing the adoption of kangaroo mother care, nutrition, and thermal care interventions. The Government of Malawi and other partners are hosting the fourth meeting of the Kangaroo Mother Care Acceleration Partnership (KAP). Participants will come from six “priority countries” chosen because of their high rates of premature birth and strong political will to take action. For the past three years, newborn health experts from these countries have been sharing research, program experience, and innovations and built a professional network through meetings, site visits, and an online platform. Delegates from four additional countries whose kangaroo mother care acceleration plans have recently gained momentum, are also attending.
UNICEF, World Health Organization, UNFPA, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, BMGF and USAID convened a joint workshop in Kathmandu. Eighty participants from 12 countries met to discuss how data systems can be improved to help end preventable maternal and newborn deaths.
While conflict, massive population displacement, and violence have been the usual news from the Middle East and North Africa, the region had some good news for small and preterm babies this September, as the first regional workshop on kangaroo mother care was organized by UNICEF for staff from Syria, Iran,...