Other content tagged: Kangaroo Mother Care
Not a privilege but a right – Kangaroo Mother Care is a lifesaving intervention
Munich, June 2024 — Kangaroo Mother Care (KMC) is a care practice that benefits not only newborns and their families but also healthcare providers and hospitals. KMC centres care around the needs of the infant, empowers families, mitigates the workload for medical professionals, and saves resources in often overburdened healthcare systems. It includes continuous and prolonged skin-to-skin contact, exclusive breastfeeding, and timely discharge from the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. Definition of Kangaroo…
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Stronger together: Main Belgian associations launch the Zero Separation Coalition
Guest article by Michel Collart, Noah's Ark Belgium. Extra boost in May: Noah’s Ark Belgium convinced partner associations VVOC, Cokoen and Odisee to promote Zero Separation. Mid-May the coalition held the Zero Separation Tour Belgium featuring 3 conferences with Nils Bergman in 3 major NICUs (Antwerp, Leuven & Genk). Over 200 neonatal professionals attended the “Nurturescience a case for Zero Separation” conference. In Leuven we had the chance to host Mrs. Bieke Verlinden representing the Minister of Health and Mr. Els…
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Making skin-to-skin care a reality for families in need with “ConTact”
Guest article by Professor Concepción Gómez Esteban, Universidad Complutense, Madrid, Spain, and President of APREM, one of EFCNI’s esteemed partner parent organisations in Spain. In 2022, APREM initiated an innovative programme in Spain called “ConTact”, aimed at facilitating skin-to-skin care between preterm infants and their families as well as supporting those families when going back home. We focused particularly on the most vulnerable tiny patients, namely preterm babies who, in addition to medical challenges,…
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Good practice recommendations for term and preterm infants: A call for global cooperation
Worldwide, about 2.4 million neonatal deaths are reported annually, even though two-thirds of these infant deaths are preventable. Therefore, the International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) published a guidline of good practice recommendations for the care of term and preterm infants. The aim is to reduce neonatal mortality through better care and prevention of possible difficulties. FIGO supports the 2030 target of the Sustainable Development Goals to lower neonatal mortality to less…
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Research priorities for care of preterm or low birth-weight infants: Health policy
The outcomes of preterm birth remain concerning in many countries: Approximately 11% of infants worldwide are born preterm, and preterm birth complications are still the leading cause of death among children under five years of age. This is why, in 2020 the WHO convened a Guideline Development Group (GDG) to examine evidence and formulate recommendations for the care of preterm or low birth-weight (LBW) infants. The 25 new WHO recommendations confirm the pivotal…
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Kangaroo Mother Care – Global position paper and implementation strategy: Two new WHO resources
The World Health Organization (WHO) has launched new guidelines for improving maternal and newborn health outcomes through infant- and family-centred developmental care. The guidelines highlight Kangaroo Mother Care (KMC), a neonatal care practice which includes skin-to-skin contact, as a life-saving intervention for preterm- and low birth weight (LBW) babies. To support the implementation of KMC, the WHO developed a global position paper and an implementation strategy for easy scale-up and…
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Kangaroo mother care: new resources released by WHO
Kangaroo mother care (KMC) significantly improves survival and health outcomes for preterm and low birthweight babies, compared to clinical stabilization in a more ‘high-tech’ incubator or warmer. To support preterm and low birthweight babies benefitting from this lifesaving technique, which includes ongoing skin-to-skin contact and exclusive breastfeeding, WHO released two new resources, with EFCNI having the great honour of contributing to this landmark report with its expertise from the parent community. Kangaroo mother…
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Experience of a Mother‑Newborn Care Unit (MNCU) in India – A successful example of Zero Separation
In the iKMC study, the effect of immediate kangaroo mother care (KMC) was investigated. Researchers implemented new facilities where sick and small newborns resided with their mothers 24/7 and were encouraged to practice immediate KMC. This new concept showed better health outcomes for the mother and the baby, including a 25% lower death rate during the first 28 days of life. Zero separation…
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13th International Conference on Kangaroo Mother Care in Madrid
From 21 to 24 November 2022, experts from all over the world came together to exchange knowledge regarding the latest Kangaroo Mother Care (KMC) practices. EFCNI was honoured to attend the conference on-site and was thrilled to meet old friends and new ones and to work together with the KMC community towards the best possible care for preterm born babies and their families. It was a pleasure to attend the 13th International Conference on Kangaroo Mother Care from 21 to…
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