For preterm infants, skin-to-skin contact affects hormone levels — and may promote parental engagement

Science Daily HNN Team

For premature infants in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), skin-to-skin contact with parents influences levels of hormones related to mother-infant attachment (oxytocin) and stress (cortisol) — and may increase parents’ level of engagement with their infants, reports a study in Advances in Neonatal Care, official journal of the National Association of Neonatal Nurses. Promoting … Continued

Fathers’ postnatal hormone levels predict later caregiving

Science Daily HNN Team

Much has been written about what happens to mothers hormonally during pregnancy and after, but what about fathers? In a first-of-its-kind study, University of Notre Dame Assistant Professor of Anthropology Lee Gettler and lead author Patty Kuo, visiting assistant professor of psychology, focused on how dads’ biology around the birth of their children relates to … Continued

Health workers saving preterms with simple interventions

New Vision Kenya, Rwanda, Uganda HNN Team

A 0.6kg newborn lies peacefully in an incubator at Jinja Regional Referral Hospital. After a routine check from the midwife on duty, all seems well. “It is in good state. I am certain we are going to save this one too,” says the midwife, with fulfilment written on her face. Preterm birth complications according to … 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 Team

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

Health facilities struggle to implement ‘kangaroo care’

Reuters HNN Team

Reuters Health – Making sure mothers have skin-to-skin contact with newborns is known to benefit babies, especially premature infants, but the practice is slow to catch on in healthcare facilities, researchers say. Known as “Kangaroo Mother Care,” or skin-to-skin, this simple strategy can reduce newborn deaths and sickness, but hospitals often struggle to implement it … Continued

The simple acts of care that could help premature babies develop

HNN Team

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 hospital where parents care for premature babies

BBC News HNN Team

On a hospital ward in Leeds, parents of premature babies are encouraged to help care for their newborns – from taking temperatures to the delicate task of inserting feeding tubes. So how does the approach benefit families?

Kangaroo mother care helps ensure the health of at-risk newborns

Prothom Alo Bangladesh HNN Team

  By Shishir Morol and Touhid Hasan Originally appeared in Protho Alo and reprinted by permission. Translation by Sohrab Hussain. To ensure her newborn would survive, Sayeda Meherunnessa, a school teacher was admitted to Kumarkhali Sub-District Hospital, Kushtia, on 23 February 2017. After the third day of her stay it was found that the mother kept her … Continued

The Tiny Bracelet That Saves Newborns from Hypothermia

The Development Set India HNN Team

 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

Busoga hospitals get Shs150m equipment

Daily Monitor Uganda HNN Team

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