Earlier, WHO had said that premature babies should be kept in incubators.
Geneva:
Skin-to-skin contact is important to improve survival of premature and young babies, the WHO said on Tuesday in a major change of policy that previously called for the use of incubators.
The new guidelines mark a major change from the UN health agency’s recommendation to provide neonatal intensive care to young children.
World Health Organization medical officer and pediatrician Karen Edmond told reporters in Geneva, allowing mothers or other caregivers and premature babies to be close from the start without isolation increases their chances of survival.
“The first hug with a parent is not only emotionally important, but also important for improving the likelihood of survival and health outcomes for small and premature babies,” she said.
The WHO said the new guidelines for treating babies born before 37 weeks of pregnancy or weighing less than 2.5 kg (5.5 pounds) apply in all settings.
Immediate skin-to-skin contact should be provided “even for infants who are unwell with difficulty breathing,” emphasizing: “They also need close contact with their mothers from birth Is.”
Earlier, the WHO had said that “unstable” newborns weighing less than two kilos at birth should be placed in an incubator.
The WHO describes prematurity as an “urgent public health problem”, with an estimated 15 million babies born prematurely each year – accounting for one in 10 births.
With its update on Tuesday, the UN agency provided 25 recommendations on the care of premature babies, including 11 that were new since the last update in 2015.
The guidelines include things like care, care during illness and stressing the importance of breastfeeding premature babies.
And for the first time, the guidelines also include recommendations on family involvement, including a call to restructure intensive care units to allow mother and child to be together.
It’s important, Edmond said, “to keep the baby in skin-to-skin contact 24/7, even if the baby … needs intensive care.”
The guidelines also propose for the first time that emotional and financial support be extended to caregivers of premature babies.
“Parental leave is essential to help families care for the baby,” Edmond said, adding that adequate financial and workplace support should be offered to carers of premature babies, as well as after leave. Home visits should also be made.
(Except for the title, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
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