Tulsi, a young mother looks relaxed and comfortable with her baby nestled close to her. Only yesterday she travelled from her village in the remote regions of Dumka district of Jharkhand to deliver her baby in the hospital. Alas, her baby had arrived a few weeks before the due date looking small and vulnerable, she was afraid and anxious. However, the hospital staff went into action immediately. They made her understand that her baby would be alright.
She further adds, “The staff nurse at district hospital explained the risks and special needs of small and premature babies. Stressing that along with the medical care, Kangaroo Mother Care was essential. They bound the baby to my bare chest, and taught how to comfortably hold the baby. Now I can move around and walk or sit, while keeping the baby close to me. I can feel his breathing and movements, and can feed him easily. Now I feel confident that he will become healthy.”
Kangaroo Mother Care is a simple cost-effective technique to promote the health and well-being of small and pre-term newborns. It helps mothers keep the baby warm and feed him/her as often as needed. This technique can be practiced at home by any healthy adults using locally available resources.
USAID supported ‘Vriddhi- Scaling up RMNCH+A interventions’ trains nurses and medical staff from labor rooms and post-natal ward on Kangaroo Mother Care, and its implementation. This is helping to avert many preventable newborn deaths. Globally, almost 1 million children die each year due to complications of preterm birth.
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