Newborn Care Week 2022: "Home Care of New Born in Urban Area"

Newborn Care Week is observed every year from 15th to 21st November with the aim of reducing the neonatal mortality rate and making people aware and motivated to take proper care of newborn babies.

Hyderabad: Newborn Care Week is observed every year from 15th to 21st November with the aim of reducing the neonatal mortality rate and making people aware and motivated to take proper care of newborn babies. The theme for this week in 2022 is "Home Care of New Born in Urban Area". The birth of their child is one of the most crucial aspects of every human being's life. But after birth, the physical and mental development of the child should be done properly and it should be protected from the clutches of any disease or infection, for this, it is very important that special care should be taken regarding its care.

In the first 28 days after birth, the risk of death in the newborn is high due to immaturity, disease, infection or some other reasons. Every year a large number of newborns lose their lives due to these and other reasons all over the world. National Newborn Care Week is observed every year with the aim of spreading awareness among the people to adopt the right and proper care methods to reduce the newborn mortality rate and provide them with a healthy life.

Doctors say that the first 24 hours and the first 28 days after the birth of a child are very sensitive. This is considered a foundational period for their lifelong health and development. But sometimes due to lack of necessary physical development of the child at the time of birth, infection, intrapartum complications and congenital malformations, a large number of newborns die every year in the first month after their birth.

According to government statistics, in the year 2019, about 2.4 million children died in the first month of birth due to the reasons mentioned above, with more than two million stillbirths. Although statistics show that due to continuous government, social and personal efforts, there has been some decline in the death rate within one month of the birth of the child. For example, in the year 2019, the infant mortality rate in India was 44 per 1000, while in the year 2000 this figure was recorded at 22 per 1000. But still, continuous efforts are needed for this.

It has been assumed in the government statistics that if by the year 2035 the mortality rate of children under five years of age is to be reduced to 20 or less per 1000 children, then it is necessary to make specific additional efforts.

Significantly, in the first month of birth, 35% of children die due to lack of necessary physical development or immaturity, 33% due to neonatal infection, 20% due to intrapartum complications or respiratory arrest and asphyxia, and about 9% lose their lives due to congenital malformations.

Doctors believe that about 75% of newborn deaths can be prevented by taking necessary precautions and providing timely treatment during birth and after birth, in the first week and first month. But for this, it is very important that the mother and her family members should have complete information about this.

Experts believe and it has also been confirmed in many types of research that after birth, along with colostrum or first milk of the mother, regular breastfeeding and physical touch with the mother are also very important for the child. Apart from this, safe delivery, cutting of the umbilical cord in a safe way, medical examination of the child immediately after birth, cleanliness of the child and its surrounding environment and many other types of precautions are also very important. Apart from this, there are some things which are very important to take care of. Some of which are types:

• Breastfeeding the baby immediately after birth under normal circumstances.
• A complete physical examination of the newborn after the first hour of birth and getting all the vaccines that are required at this time, such as OPV birth vaccine, Hepatitis B vaccine and BCG etc.
• Weight of the newborn at the time of birth, duration of its stay in the mother's womb, i.e. its gestational age, whether it has any congenital defects? And whether there are signs of any disease in the baby, it is also very important to check and keep a record of it.
• Usually, soon after birth, some children may show symptoms of jaundice or some other diseases, in this case, it is necessary to follow the doctor's instructions and provide the necessary treatment to the child.
• Children who are born prematurely, have low birth weight or are suffering from any special condition from the time of birth, should be given special care and should be taken care of by the doctor. They should be taken care of according to the instructions and precautions given.
• 'Kangaroo Care Technique' should be followed for the child, in which physical touch with the mother and father of the child is advised for a longer period.
• The cleanliness of the child and the cleanliness of its surroundings should be taken care of in a special way and as prescribed by the doctor.
• Keeping in mind that while drinking milk or in any condition, there should be no obstruction in the child's breathing.
• Contact the doctor immediately if the child cries continuously, or if any abnormality is noticed in its activity.

Significantly, by taking care of these precautions, many newborns can avoid an emergency.

According to the data available on the UNICEF website, due to continuous efforts in India, there has been a significant reduction in the death rate of newborns. In the year 1990, this figure was a third of the deaths of newborns worldwide, while by the year 2016, this figure had remained less than a quarter.

In addition to events like the National Newborn Care Week, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW), Government of India, has been making several continuous efforts over the years to prevent the major causes of death of newborns and to keep them healthy and safe, where many important policy decisions have also been taken and many schemes have also been made. Some of these are as follows:

• The Child Survival and Safe Motherhood Program (CSSM) was launched in the year 1992.
• The first phase (RCH 1) of the Reproductive and Child Health Program was launched in the year 1997.
• RCH II was implemented in the year 2005.
• The nationwide program MAA (Mother's Absolute Affection) was launched in the year 2016 to promote breastfeeding.
• In the year 2016, the Pradhan Mantri Surakshit Matritva Abhiyan was also started.
• Along with the National Urban Health Mission, the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) was also implemented in the year 2005. This campaign became a part of the National Health Mission in the year 2013, under which a strategic framework was created for the development and reduction of child mortality.
• The Global Every Newborn Action Plan (ENAP) was launched by MoHFW in the year 2014. The objective of this is to bring the neonatal mortality rate and stillbirth rate to a single digit by the year 2030, along with making efforts for the prevention of death and stillbirth of newborns.