Opinion: How kangaroo mother care can help millions of babies each year
Centering mothers and families in the care of preterm infants and keeping mothers and babies together at all times after birth can transform care and save lives.
More than one in 10 infants worldwide are born preterm, many with complications: Nearly 1 million die each year. This is the single largest cause of death in children around the world before their fifth birthday.
As a pediatrician, I see these lost lives as unacceptable and, in many cases, preventable. It’s particularly heartbreaking when the sick newborn is isolated, for example in specialized neonatal intensive care units not designed with space for families to be present or for fear of infectious disease as commonly occurred during the Covid-19 pandemic — where they can’t be held and otherwise experience love from parents and other family members.
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