When is a child considered premature?

In the world, 15 million babies are born prematurely every year, and especially in Latin America, in 2020 alone, it is estimated that almost 2,400 premature babies were born every day.

When is a child considered premature? Premature birth is the leading cause of death for children under the age of five, and neonatal diseases continue to rank first (among all diseases and at all ages) in the global burden of disease.

Rates from premature birth They have barely changed over the last decade, and in some places are even increasing.

For advancement maternal and newborn health, One of the main priorities must be to solve this problem.

What should be considered?

Peter Daffoe, specialist in maternal health, UNICEF’s Newborn and Infant Program for Latin America and the Caribbean highlights some considerations to take into account:

– Prevention: In time prevent premature birth The first thing to keep in mind is to know how to identify and control risk factors, such as infections, during pregnancy.

The best prevention is maintaining a constant controls and medical examinations detect any anomaly early.

– Care for a premature baby: In the event that preterm birth occurs or there is a risk of birth before the expected due date, there are treatments to help protect the premature baby from future disorders, as well as breathing difficulties and infections.

Proper care of premature newborns can save 900,000 babies.

One of the most famous methods is Kangaroo Mother Care (KMC), an effective and easy-to-perform intervention to reduce mortality in premature or low-birth-weight babies.

Evidence of the benefits of this the practice was so powerfulwhich the World Health Organization (WHO) currently recommends to be performed at birth and routinely for all premature and low-birth-weight infants.

Early treatment is also recommended. Breast-feeding. In this sense, the Kangaroo mother method also has the advantage of favoring this instance, since it facilitates contact with the mother’s breasts, creating the conditions for the moment of breastfeeding (preferably within the first 30 minutes to 1 hour), but in cases where the baby cannot do it alone, to help expressed milk in a glass and a tube through the nose through which breast milk will be given.

alliance

This year, Kimberly-Clark, together with its brand Huggies childcare, and UNICEF renew their alliance for another three years to help more babies survive their first days of life and grow up healthy, giving them access to the services and care they need.

With a $5 million contribution to current programs Over the next two years, Huggies’ support will help impact 4.5 million babies, families, caregivers and healthcare workers in 15 countries in the region.