The child death rate has been cut in half since 1990. That’s huge! But while the overall decline is great, the newborn death rate has remained high and now makes up almost half of all child deaths under the age of five.
Every year, more than 2.9 billion babies die within the first month of life and 1 billion die within the first day of being born.
Turns out there are a number of simple measures that can be taken at childbirth that improve the baby’s chances for survival.
1. Skin-to-skin contact
A method called "kangaroo mother care" is used to help regulate the baby’s temperature, heart rate, and breathing by promoting skin-to-skin contact between a mother and baby.
2. Breastfeeding
It’s been shown that babies have a higher chance of survival if they are breastfed immediately and only given breast milk for the first six months. While breastfeeding can be controversial in some cultures, the medical and nutritional benefits make it clear that immediate and exclusive breastfeeding is the way to go.
3. Drying the baby off immediately
Stimulating the baby’s blood flow by drying the baby off is important to do immediately. It also keeps the baby warm!
4. Cleaning the umbilical cord properly
Many women around the world give birth in their homes and the lack of sanitation means that it is common for dirt to get into the umbilical cord. Cleaning the cord with chlorhexidine is a simple solution to prevent fatal infections.
5. Resuscitation
There is a simple hand pump oxygen mask out there that can save the life of a newborn struggling to breath. With basic training, using this tactic can prevent one-third of newborn deaths around the time of delivery.
6. Antibiotics
Infection is a common cause of death that can affect newborns quickly. If injectible antibiotics are administered as soon as a baby appears ill, over 300,000 newborns can be saved each year.
These are easy, effective, and inexpensive measures that can be taken all over the world in order continue reducing the child death rate. The reason why these steps aren’t already taken is largely because of a lack of training. In low-income countries, more than half of women give birth at home without a skilled health worker to assist. When these measures of care aren’t taken, a sick baby’s chance of survival diminishes quickly and the number of newborn deaths each year remains high.
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