An Embrace That Can Save Lives

An embrace is defined as an act of holding someone closely in one’s arms. It is a simple gesture of affection. I must have embraced my little Queen B a million times already. I embrace her while she nurses. I embrace her while she sleeps in my arms. I embrace her when she achieves a milestone. I embrace her for no reason at all. And I will continue to embrace for as long as she wants me to. Yet no matter how many times I embrace her, nothing will beat our first embrace.

Our first embrace does not even look like an embrace. The hospital staff placed her on top of me to nurse. I was not able to hold her as my arms were strapped in the table during the operation. All I could do was stare at her while she stares back at me. Little did I know how important that first embrace with my much awaited baby was.

According to the World Health Organization, in 2010 neonatal deaths accounted for 54% of under-5 deaths in the Western Pacific Region. A neonatal death occurs within the first 28 days of life. Here in the Philippines according to our Department of Health around 40,000 newborns die every year. Most of these deaths might have been prevented with a simple act of love: the mother embracing her child shortly after birth.

Numerous studies have shown that immediate skin-to-skin contact between mother and baby has the following benefits:

• It helps the baby maintain a normal body temperature. Mom is a better warmer than an incubator.  
• It brings the baby’s heart rate, respiratory rate, and blood pressure to normal after the stress of being born.
• It helps stabilize baby’s blood sugar level.
• It brings comfort to the baby which results to baby crying less.
• It provides early protection. Mom’s skin contains bacteria so early exposure helps the baby develop a range of healthy bacteria.
• It helps the baby latch on early and will more likely to latch on well.
• It increases the chance of the baby being exclusively breastfed and for a longer time too.
• It promotes early bonding and attachment between mother and baby.
• It enhances mom and baby communication. Mom will learn her baby’s signals – hunger cues, signs of tiredness- sooner.

Even premature babies receive the same benefits from early skin-to-skin contact with their mothers.

Due to its life saving benefits, the World Health Organization launched the First Embrace Campaign. This campaign was established to help all member countries of the United Nations to achieve the goal of reducing child mortality. Reduction of child mortality is one of the eight Millennium Development Goals. The Philippine government along with other countries committed to the United Nations Millennium Declaration in September 2000 where achieving the Millennium Development Goals is a part of.  

The First Embrace Campaign highlights the Early Essential Newborn Care (EENC) Protocol. This protocol is a series of actions and interventions designed to improve the health of newborns. The four core steps of EENC are as follows:

1. Immediate and thorough drying of the newborn
2. Uninterrupted skin-to-skin contact
3. Proper cord clamping and cutting
4. Non-separation of the newborn from the mother for early breastfeeding initiation and rooming in

Routine care for the baby such as giving Vitamin K, eye prophylaxis, immunizations, complete examination and weighing should be done after the initial breastfeeding is concluded. Newborns should be bathed 24 hours after birth.

The video below shows the detailed step-by-step of EENC. 

It has been months since my first embrace with my little Queen B but we are still reaping the benefits of this evidence-based, low cost, and low technology procedure.Of course, I know it is impossible to totally eradicate death. Only our almighty God had that power. Yet the First Embrace Campaign proves that He already had provided us the means to give the best care for our babies because holding your baby shortly after birth is just a natural, instinctively thing a mother will do.

 

I will never get tired of embracing my baby!

#xoxo