In a comprehensive overhaul of its policy supporting the use of incubators, the World Health Organization announced on Tuesday that skin-to-skin contact plays a key role in improving survival. premature babies And the young survive.
The new guidelines represent a major shift in how the United Nations health agency recommends intensive care for newborns, according to AFP.
in close contact
The organization also said new guidelines on how to treat babies born before the 37th week of pregnancy or weighing less than 2.5 kilograms apply in all circumstances.
She also added that immediate skin-to-skin contact should be provided “even for babies with breathing difficulties,” noting that “they also need close contact with their mother from birth.”
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improve the chances of survival
In context, the organization’s medical officer and pediatrician Karen Edmond told reporters in Geneva that allowing mothers or other health care workers to stay near premature babies From the very beginning, without separation, the chances of survival of these children increases.
“The first hug with a parent is not only emotionally important, but it’s also critical to improving the chances of survival and health of young and preterm babies,” she explained.
It is a must
She also stressed that it’s important to keep “the baby in direct skin-to-skin contact 24/7, even if the baby needs intensive care.”
While emphasizing that “parental leave is a must to help families take care of the newborn”.
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“An urgent public health problem”
Interestingly, the World Health Organization had previously recommended that infants weighing less than two kilograms at birth should be placed in incubators.
The organization describes premature births as an “urgent public health problem”, with 15 million babies born prematurely each year, equal to one in 10 births.
11 new recommendations
In its update on Tuesday, the UN agency made 25 recommendations on the care of preterm infants, including 11 new recommendations since its last update in 2015. The guidance covers, among other things, primary care and of preterm infants during illness, and emphasizes the importance of breastfeeding these infants.
For the first time ever, the guidelines also include recommendations for family communication, including a call for the establishment of intensive care units to allow mother and baby to be together.
The guidelines also suggest, for the first time, increasing emotional and financial support for those caring for preterm babies.
