Integrated Maternal and Newborn Care Basic Skills Course ...

• To feed the baby by breastfeeding/use of expressed breast milk frequently. If the LBW
baby does not suck well or tires easily while sucking, advise use of expressed breast
milk with a cup, spoon, or a suitable traditional feeding device (clean with soap and
water and, ideally, boiled for 10 minutes.).
• To remove the baby out of the skin-to-skin contact only for changing diapers, hygiene,
and cord care. The low birth weight baby need not be bathed daily. The dirty parts,
especially skin folds, can be sponged clean. When the baby is bathed, it is important to
do so in a warm room with no draft, using warm water, finish as soon as possible, dry
the body well, and recommence the skin-to-skin contact quickly.
• To have continuous 24-hour kangaroo care until the baby’s weight increases. Another
family member may replace the mother for periods of time to relieve the mother.
Practicing KMC after Discharge
Advise the mother and family to:
Figure 12.6. The mother, the father, or another family
member may keep the baby on the chest.
• Continue kangaroo mother care at home.
• Seek care with an appropriate health worker/center as designated if the baby develops
any of the following danger signs (the first five are most important):
o difficulty in sucking or not sucking at all
o lethargy/inactivity
o fever/body too hot or hypothermia/body feeling too cold
o fast breathing/difficulty in breathing
o convulsions
o persistent vomiting, abdominal distension
o redness, swelling around the umbilicus and/or foul smell, with or without pus
discharge and/or pus discharge
• Come for regular follow-up care:
o Make the first follow-up appointment one week after discharge.
o While the exact intervals may vary in individual cases, in general, counsel for
continued weekly follow-up of the LBW infant until the baby is doing well and
preferably until the weight reaches 2000 grams.
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Integrated maternal and newborn care
Basic skills course