Yemi Obafemi
In celebration of World Prematurity Day, on November 17, the President of Nigerian Society of Neonatal Medicine and Chief Consultant National Hospital Abuja, Dr. Mariya Mukatar-Yola has raised awareness on how to save premature babies.
Mukatar-Yola disclosed this during the celebration of World Prematurity Day themed: Small actions, BIG IMPACT: Immediate skin-to-skin care for every baby everywhere. Which was held on November 17, 2023 in National Hospital Abuja.
Speaking to newsmen, Mukatar-Yola said the rate of which premature babies are born is high. “Every year in the world about fifteen million premature babies are born which means one in ten babies is actually a preterm.
“It is very important to raise this statistics and also to bring to the attention that premature babies contribute 30 percent of all the death among all new born babies ”
According to her, any babies born before 37 completed weeks are premature babies and they are prompt to a lot of complications including infections, sugar instability, breathing problems, feeding problems and so many other complications because they don’t have the sufficient fact to protect them.
“Premature babies body and systems are incompletely develop so they tend to have long immaturity like breathing problems at birth, unable to maintain their body temperature because their immunity is not properly develope, they are prompt to infections so they usually sick from one infections to another because they are not able to swallow and suck effectively, ” she said.
On the way out, the president explain how parents can improve the wellbeing of premature babies, noting that if the baby is kept warm using a very simplest intervention by been carried on the parents chest or other family members and maintain skin-to-skin care the heat directly from the mother will be transferred unto the baby and that baby will now be in good condition called thermoneutral environment.
She said some mothers naturally have a weak opening in their womb which makes their womb to be open and when identify early it can be help by closing the mouth of the womb so that the baby can stay longer in the womb.
Mukatar-Yola also emphasized on the need for pregnant women to take care of themselves during pregnancy.
The president further advised women to take care of their selves once they are expecting and not to engage in heavy labour which can cause premature labour.
