Physical contact with their babies in the neonatal ICU!
Physical contact with their babies in the neonatal ICU! That’s what some furious parents are demanding after they were denied the opportunity to bond with their critically ill children. That’s #CarteBlanche this Sunday at 7pm on M-Net, DStv channel 101. Subscribe to Carte Blanche: The Podcast: https://linktr.ee/carteblanchetv To stream the show live: https://bit.ly/3l92LhH Watch full […]
South African Neonatal Skin Care Guidelines
The aim of this skin care guideline is to provide evidence-based, contextualized guidelines for the care of full term, healthy neonatal skin. Complications in skin conditions and special populations, such as preterm and critically ill infants are outside the scope of this document. The content of this document was adapted and used with permission from […]
Mother-Newborn Care Unit (MNCU) Experience in India: A Paradigm Shift in Care of Small and Sick Newborns
International KMC day is May 15th. It is high time that neonatal units started to review how they are implementing KMC and in particular ensuring Zero separation for mothers and babies. Last year an article was published on the Benefits of commencing immediate continuous KMC even in unstable babies. This research was so impactful that […]
Kangaroo mother care (KMC) had a protective effect on the volume of brain structures in young adults born preterm
While the more immediate benefits of KMC for small and sick newborns are well studied and supported by evidence, there is little evidence surrounding the benefits from KMC beyond infancy. Read this study which aimed to determine what, if any benefits, persisted in children beyond infancy who received KMC as a newborn.
The World Health Organization’s Postnatal Care Guidelines
WHO urges quality care for women and newborns in critical first weeks after childbirth.The World Health Organization (WHO) has launched its first ever global guidelines to support women and newborns in the postnatal period – the first six weeks after birth. The new guidelines bring together over 60 recommendations that can help shape a positive postnatal […]
World Prematurity Day 2021-Families in underserved and humanitarian settings
Wealth, place of birth, coverage of care at birth, and, in some cultures, also the newborn’s gender greatly impact the risk of dying and the health outcome of a newborn. The most vulnerable newborns are those in marginalised groups, rural areas, urban slum environments, conflict areas, and humanitarian settings. Too many newborns have only limited […]
World Prematurity Day 2021-Supporting healthcare workers
WHY? Evidence-based, high-quality treatment and care are provided in a timely, people-centred manner by a well-trained, specialised multidisciplinary team. Safe staffing levels improve health outcomes and enhance staff satisfaction. • Newborn health is closely linked to adequate numbers of qualified nurses and/or midwives working per shift in a newborn unit. • Multidisciplinary teams provide the […]
World Prematurity Day-Supporting families
WHY? Having parents who are actively involved in the care of their newborn and who are in close physical and emotional contact with their baby as early after birth as possible and during hospitalisation can positively impact the short- and long-term outcome of their baby. This includes for example: less need for respiratory support, increased […]
World Prematurity Day 2021
The year 2021 has been unique in many ways as the global COVID-19 pandemic has continued to pose serious challenges to the political, economic, cultural, and social sectors in countries across the globe. It has repeatedly pushed healthcare systems to the brink of functionality – and in some cases even beyond. The pandemic has particularly […]
World Prematurity Day 2020. Together for babies born too soon-Caring for the future!

The year 2020 has been unique in many ways, leading us into a new decade posing serious challenges such as the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic or rising conflict and humanitarian crises, placing women, newborns, children, and adolescents at particular risks. Yet this is also the start of a new decade with new opportunities for babies to survive […]