The Ministry of Health (MOH) and the World Health Organisation (WHO)kicked off the “First Embrace” campaign in the National Obstetrics andGynaecology Hospital in Hanoi on July 17 to promote immediateskin-to-skin contact between mother and child to save thousands ofnewborn lives in the country.
The campaignhighlights early essential newborn care, or EENC – a package of actionsand interventions to address the most common causes of newborn death ordisease, such as prematurity, low birth weight and severe infectionssuch as pneumonia or diarrhoea.
According to the WHO, the “First Embrace” refers to sustainedskin-to-skin contact between the mother and her newborn shortly afterthe baby is born. This simple act transfers lifesaving warmth, placentalblood and protective bacteria from the mother to the newborn.
Skin-to-skin contact should be followed by proper clamping andcutting of the umbilical cord with sterile instruments. Breastfeedingthen initiates naturally at feeding cues, such as drooling, tonguing andbiting of the hand.
“First milk” isparticularly important, as it provides newborns with essentialnutrients, antibodies and immune cells to protect them against diseases.
EENC can be performed in all birth settingswithout the need for complicated preparations or expensive technology.Early essential newborn care can thus also be applied in district andcommunity health centres in remote or hard-to-reach areas in Vietnamwith a disproportionately high newborn deaths.
Vietnam has made great strides over the past two decades in reducingneonatal death rates, meeting the United States’ Millennium DevelopmentGoal Target to reduce child mortality.
In 2012, more than 17,000 infants died within the first month of life.
Many medical workers are still not aware of these simple steps to save newborn lives, Hoang Thi Bang from the WHO said.
Through the “First Embrace”, the WHO hopes to change the newborn carepractices in Vietnam and encourage families and communities to increasedemand for these approaches, she added.
Thecampaign has been launched at three hospitals in the country – Tu DuHospital in Ho Chi Minh City, the Obstetrics and Paediatrics Hospital inDa Nang and the National Obstetrics and Gynaecology Hospital in Hanoi.These hospitals are early essential newborn care centres of excellencein Vietnam where “First Embrace” practices are already in use.
It is part of broader effortsto improve access to and quality of maternal, newborn and child healthcare services across Vietnam and the WHO Western Pacific Region.-VNA
The campaignhighlights early essential newborn care, or EENC – a package of actionsand interventions to address the most common causes of newborn death ordisease, such as prematurity, low birth weight and severe infectionssuch as pneumonia or diarrhoea.
According to the WHO, the “First Embrace” refers to sustainedskin-to-skin contact between the mother and her newborn shortly afterthe baby is born. This simple act transfers lifesaving warmth, placentalblood and protective bacteria from the mother to the newborn.
Skin-to-skin contact should be followed by proper clamping andcutting of the umbilical cord with sterile instruments. Breastfeedingthen initiates naturally at feeding cues, such as drooling, tonguing andbiting of the hand.
“First milk” isparticularly important, as it provides newborns with essentialnutrients, antibodies and immune cells to protect them against diseases.
EENC can be performed in all birth settingswithout the need for complicated preparations or expensive technology.Early essential newborn care can thus also be applied in district andcommunity health centres in remote or hard-to-reach areas in Vietnamwith a disproportionately high newborn deaths.
Vietnam has made great strides over the past two decades in reducingneonatal death rates, meeting the United States’ Millennium DevelopmentGoal Target to reduce child mortality.
In 2012, more than 17,000 infants died within the first month of life.
Many medical workers are still not aware of these simple steps to save newborn lives, Hoang Thi Bang from the WHO said.
Through the “First Embrace”, the WHO hopes to change the newborn carepractices in Vietnam and encourage families and communities to increasedemand for these approaches, she added.
Thecampaign has been launched at three hospitals in the country – Tu DuHospital in Ho Chi Minh City, the Obstetrics and Paediatrics Hospital inDa Nang and the National Obstetrics and Gynaecology Hospital in Hanoi.These hospitals are early essential newborn care centres of excellencein Vietnam where “First Embrace” practices are already in use.
It is part of broader effortsto improve access to and quality of maternal, newborn and child healthcare services across Vietnam and the WHO Western Pacific Region.-VNA
