The Evidence for Breastfeeding and Thermal Care: Key Elements of Essential Newborn Care

Posted on

By: Stephen Hodgins, Senior Technical Advisor, Saving Newborn Lives, Save the Children

Breastfeeding and thermal care are particularly potent determinants of newborn survival, yet both have received disproportionately little program attention. Save the Children’s Saving Newborn Lives program has published a pair of evidence briefs on early initiation of breastfeeding and thermal care of newborns, which present the epidemiologic argument for increased prioritization of these issues. The briefs address two key elements of “essential newborn care” – important routine care practices that should be provided to all babies regardless of whether they are born at home or in a facility…read more

What Can Maternal Health Learn From the Aviation Industry?

Posted on

By: Katherine Semrau, Director of the BetterBirth Program at Ariadne Labs, Assistant Professor at Harvard Medical School and Associate Epidemiologist at Brigham and Women's Hospital Division of Global Health Equity

The aviation checklist is designed for critical moments in flying, including before takeoff and before landing. Similarly, the World Health Organization (WHO) Safe Childbirth Checklist addresses four critical moments during childbirth: at admission, just before pushing, within one hour of delivery and at facility discharge. The behaviors on the WHO checklist address the biggest causes of mortality in women and newborns and are thus essential practices arising from evidence-based WHO guidelines…read more