“Skin-to-skin” contact is key to improving the survival of premature babies, according to information released this Tuesday by the World Health Organization (WHO) in a major policy review that previously called for the use of incubators .
The new guidelines mark a major shift in the way the UN health organization recommends neonatal intensive care for the tiniest babies.
Allowing mothers (or other caregivers) and premature babies to stay close together from the start, without separation, increases the chances of survival, according to Karen Edmond, a doctor and pediatrician at WHO.
“The first hug with a parent is not only emotionally important, it is also absolutely crucial to improving the survival rates and health outcomes of premature babies,” he explains.
The new guidelines for the treatment of babies born before 37 weeks of pregnancy or weighing less than 2.5 kg apply in all situations, according to the WHO.
Immediate “skin-to-skin” contact should be provided “even for babies who have breathing difficulties,” he said, insisting “they also need close contact with their mother from birth.”
Earlier, the WHO had said that “unstable” newborns weighing less than two kilograms at birth should be placed in incubators.
The World Health Organization describes preterm birth as an “urgent public health problem,” with about 15 million babies born prematurely each year — equivalent to one in 10 births.
In Tuesday’s update, the UN made 25 recommendations on the care of premature babies, including 11 that are new since the 2015 referendum.
The guidelines cover measures such as nutritional care, care during illness and emphasize the importance of breastfeeding premature babies.
In addition, for the first time, the guidelines also include recommendations on family involvement, including a call to restructure intensive care units so that mother and baby can stay together.
“It’s important,” said Edmond, to keep “the baby in skin-to-skin contact 24 hours a day,” even if the baby has to be in intensive care.
The guidelines also propose, for the first time, more emotional and financial support for people caring for premature babies.
“Parent leave is a must to help families care for the baby,” said Edmond, adding that caregivers of preterm babies should receive adequate financial and job support, as well as post-discharge home visits.
Source: DN
