Preterm Births : The Key Role Of Kangaroo Mother Care

As part of activities to mark the Month of Prematurity (November 1-30, 2023) and the 13th World Prematurity Day on November 17, 2023, the United Nations Children’s Fund, UNICEF Cameroon Country office and the Cameroon Ministry of Public Health on Tuesday, November 7, 2023 in Yaounde organised a debriefing session for journalists. The theme of this year’s World Prematurity Day celebration is “Small action, big impact: Immediate skin to skin care for every baby everywhere.”

Preventable Mortality
Opening the half-day training, Dr Leonard Kouadio, UNICEF Cameroon Acting Country Representative, said prematurity was a major, though preventable cause of mortality in children aged less than five years. Thus, the need to involve the media in raising awareness on the public health issue.

Understanding Prematurity
Premature or preterm babies are those born alive before the eighth month of pregnancy (or before the 37 weeks of pregnancy are completed). Most premature babies are of little weight. That is, they weigh less than 2.5 kilogrammes. According to the World Health Organisation, WHO, prematurity or preterm births can be classified into four categories - Extremely preterm (less than 28 weeks of pregnancy), Very preterm (28 to less than 32 weeks of pregnancy) and Moderate to late preterm (32 to 37 weeks of pregnancy).


Indirect Birth Causes
The indirect causes of preterm births linked to health include pregnancies not followed up in hospital, low quality of healthcare services offered before, during and after birth; the age of the mother (less than 18 years or above 35 years); and a history of preterm births. The causes that have to do with the standards of living are distance from health facilities, hard work like farming, house chores, carrying heavy loads…; early marriage, consumption of tobacco, alcohol, low level of education, negligence, beliefs and customs. The indirect causes of preterm births that have to do with socio-economic living conditions are low household income, poor universal health coverage rate, absence of health insurance …

Consequences Of Prematurity
On the other hand, the consequences of prematurity are numerous. Such as delivery complications which are the main cause of death. Premature births are expensive to care for (between 600,000 FCFA and 1 million FCFA in Cameroon) before the baby is discharged from the maternity/hospital. Such babies tend to be viewed negatively by relatives and the mothers might be forced to abandon work to care for them. The babies face rejection, the situation could lead to separation by the couple, or less attention being paid to other children.

Care Of Premature Babies
In caring for preterm babies, hygiene is key. The mother and family must be actively involved because such care often lasts weeks and even months. The Kangaroo Mother Care, KMC method is one key way of saving the lives of premature babies, journalists were told. It entails holding the baby to the chest of a healthy person for skin-to-skin contact. It has many benefits for babies, especially those born early or with low birth weight.
Kangaroo care can support baby’s physical health, help with breastfeeding and nurture the bond between the mother and the baby. The baby wears only a diaper and possibly a hat and socks to help stay warm. The baby rests against the bare chest of the mother or any other healthy person, allowing for skin-to-skin contact.

Preventing Preterm Birth Complications
WHO reports that preterm birth complications are the leading cause of death among children under 5 years of age, responsible for approximately 900,000 deaths in 2019. Three-quarters of these deaths could be prevented with current, cost-effective interventions.
Preventing deaths and complications from preterm birth starts with a healthy pregnancy. Antenatal care guidelines include key interventions to help prevent preterm birth such as counselling on healthy diet, optimal nutrition, and tobacco and substance use. Fœtal measurements, i...