Doctors Test Bacterial Smear After Cesarean Sections To Bolster Babies’ Microbiomes
NPR
HNN Admin
Danielle Vukadinovich is sitting up in a hospital bed at the Inova Women’s Hospital in Falls Church, Va., waiting to give birth. “I feel good, I’m excited!” says Vukadinovich, 35, of Annandale, Va., “Nervous, but good!” Vukadinovich is getting a cesarean section today. It’s the second time for her — she underwent the surgical procedure … Continued
A Day in the Life of a Community Health Worker
USAID Afghanistan
Afghanistan
HNN Admin
SACRIFICING TO MEET NEEDS Shakila is a volunteer Community Health Worker at a health post in Enjil District, Herat Province. Every day, prior to working a typical 24 hour shift at the health post, she leaves her two-year old son, Mohammad Moshfe, with her mother-in-law. “Everyone is welcome here. Enjil is a poor district. It … Continued
Free maternity services require solid funding
NewsDay
Zimbabwe
HNN Admin
THE heavily pregnant woman lying on the floor in a maternity ward at Harare Central Hospital stretches out her hand to greet First Lady Auxillia Mnangagwa. For the briefest moment, the woman forgets about the hard, cold and uncomfortable surface and basks in the glow of being in the presence of “greatness”. A wide grin … Continued
Donated Human Milk: A Lifesaving Option for Vulnerable Infants
County Innovation Challenge Fund
Kenya
HNN Admin
Kenya loses an estimated 39 infants for every 1000 live births, translating to over 50,000 babies who die before their first birthday each year. More than half of these deaths occur in the neonatal period – the first month of life – most often due to complications related to prematurity and low birth weight[1]. Essential … Continued
These Women Are Saving Lives, One Pregnancy at a Time
New York Times
Sierra Leone, Uganda
HNN Admin
Regions of sub-Saharan Africa have some of the highest maternal mortality rates in the world. Geographical obstacles, scarce financial resources and the terrors of political insurrection can transform what should be one of the happiest times of a woman’s life into a race for survival. While this issue has been covered extensively from a geopolitical … Continued
Inside a Neonatal Clinic in South Sudan: ‘In Some Ways, It Felt Wrong to Be Here’
New York Times
South Sudan
HNN Admin
JUBA, South Sudan — We noticed the quiet first. As we removed our dirt-caked sneakers, slipped on flip flops and entered the nursery in Juba Teaching Hospital’s newborn ward, a hushed tension washed over us. A bulb flickered relentlessly above the dozen or so newborns in the room. Many of the babies here weighed less … Continued
Born Too Soon in a Country at War. Their Only Hope? This Clinic.
New York Times
South Sudan
HNN Admin
This baby girl has stopped breathing. She was born prematurely and is only 3 weeks old. Her mother, Restina Boniface, took her to the only public neonatal clinic in South Sudan. The country is one of the toughest places in the world for newborns with health problems to survive. Ten feet away sits a donated … Continued
Amid grinding conflict, Yemen’s midwives go to heroic lengths to save lives
United Nations Population Fund
Yemen
HNN Admin
Hajjah, Yemen – “When the war broke out, I left my job in the city and came to Aslam,” Rawthah Ahmed, a midwife with 25 years of experience, told UNFPA. Her services are desperately needed in Aslam, a remote village in Hajjah Governorate. “There are no health facilities or basic services. People are very poor; … Continued
How Mbale Regional Hospital reduced newborn mortality from 52 to 11% in under 3 years
Makarere University Centre of Excellence for Maternal, Newborn & Child Health
Uganda
HNN Admin
Ms Barbara Auma (right) of Tororo would now be in her final two weeks of pregnancy but her baby came almost three months earlier, writes Kakaire Ayub Kirunda. Prior to her ‘delivery’ Barbara bled for two days and the attending doctor had already written off the viability of the pregnancy outcome, documenting it as an abortion. … Continued
Fifteen Innovators Get Funding from Saving Lives at Birth
HNN Admin
International Partnership Invests $7.3 Million to Accelerate Innovations that Prevent Maternal, Newborn Deaths and Stillbirth in the Hardest-to-Reach Regions of the World WASHINGTON, DC – After a rigorous review process and competition, 15 of the world’s most promising ideas to save lives at birth in developing countries have edged out over 550 other applicants, securing millions … Continued