Would you feed your child with another woman’s breast milk?

Standard Media Kenya HNN Team

While wet nursing is not a new phenomenon among Kenyan societies, the concept of pooling milk together in a bank is. Women from religious history would breastfeed the children of other women but this would be directly from the breast. Moses of the Bible times and Prophet Mohammed of the Quran both had wet nurses. … Continued

Looming famine threatens the lives of 2 million pregnant women and new mothers in Yemen

UNFPA Yemen HNN Team

SANA’A, Yemen – Four years into conflict, Yemen has become home to the worst humanitarian crisis in the world. Over 22 million people are in need of immediate humanitarian assistance. Two thirds of the population do not know when their next meal will come. “Some days I cannot provide food [for my children],” said 28-year-old … Continued

Inside a Neonatal Clinic in South Sudan: ‘In Some Ways, It Felt Wrong to Be Here’

New York Times South Sudan HNN Team

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 Team

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

6 In 10 Indian Babies Miss Out On Early Breastfeeding And Its Life-Saving Benefits

IndiaSpend India HNN Team

New Delhi: While there has been an improvement in the number of babies getting breastfed in the first hour of life in India–reflected in a rise from 23.1% in 2005 to 41.5% in 2015–the majority of Indian babies still miss out and could face life-threatening consequences, a new global report said. Early initiation of breastfeeding … Continued

Probiotic Bacteria Could Protect Newborns From Deadly Infection

NPR HNN Team

If you’re in desperate need for some good news, look no further. Scientists in the U.S. and India have found an inexpensive treatment that could possibly save hundreds of thousands of newborns each year. And it turns out, the secret weapon was sitting in Asian kitchens all along: probiotic bacteria that are common in kimchi, … Continued

Nigeria gets action plan to cater for sick newborns

The Guardian Nigeria HNN Team

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

Call to action to improve the health of women, children and adolescents worldwide

The 15 papers, co-authored by WHO, outline the current evidence, identify successes as well as critical gaps in progress, and highlight key priorities to end preventable deaths and build resilient and prosperous societies.

Expert online survey to inform new guidance for reporting neonatal infection research

Bangladesh HNN Team

Understanding the incidence, aetiology and pathogenesis of neonatal infections is essential to reduce neonatal mortality. To do this we need to improve the reporting of studies to be systematic, to include key elements, and to use standardised definitions.

Nearly 1 million children require urgent humanitarian assistance after Nepal earthquake

Nepal HNN Team

UNICEF is mobilizing staff and emergency supplies to meet the urgent humanitarian needs of children affected by the earthquake, focusing on water and sanitation, nutrition, education and child protection.