World Prematurity Day 2024: “Small actions, BIG IMPACT: Immediate skin-to-skin care for every baby everywhere.”

World Prematurity Day 2024: Advocating for the Smallest Fighters and Their Families

Embarking on the journey of being a preemie parent means you will be giving and getting a lot of skin-to-skin affection.

Hugs, cuddles, affection, who doesn’t love a nice big squeeze, especially after a very stressful or hard day. Doesn’t a hug just make all your troubles disappear? Especially when the hug has been given by the right person, at the right time, that hug can mean everything.

You may be thinking how does this relate to World Prematurity Day? Parents of preemie babies have probably sussed the link already (*hint, Kangaroo care), but for those of us still learning about the preemie world, a hug and embracing a preemie will do the 5 things I am going to list and more, but I just want you to see how it’s seemingly such a “small” thing to do and yet the effects are long lasting and very powerful.

5 Things Skin-to-skin care does for a premature baby:

1. Stabilises your baby’s heart rate
2. Reduces stress (this goes both ways for baby and parent)
3. Makes bond stronger (again goes both ways as you will feel this too)
4. Supports breastfeeding. (For you: Increased milk supply)
5. Enhances survival rate (from the baby having better digestion and gaining more weight for brain development)

The theme of this year’s World Prematurity Day is: “Small actions, BIG IMPACT: Immediate skin-to-skin care for every baby everywhere.”

Me and My Baby Christian’s Kangaroo time at The National Maternity Hospital in Dublin 2020

The NICU is a place where one day the doctor is giving you great news about how well your baby is doing, but if you are in that environment, you don’t know what they could tell you. For some parents the baby has not reached a certain milestone, for other mums breastfeeding is not going as well as if should do. Maybe the baby has jaundice or maybe the baby will be discharged tomorrow? Mixed bag, but these are realities of what a day may be like with a baby in the NICU.

But one thing that will always bring sunshine to the day is the moment you are allowed to hold your baby and have kangaroo time. The doctor could have told you something to have bought you down but the minute you hold your little baby everything goes silent and there’s peace. How can an embrace mean so much and have such a big impact in this environment?

In the NICU “Kangaroo care” is skin-to-skin contact with your baby. During visits you are given time to bring baby out of the incubator and put them on your chest and hold them. It’s at this time you can feel the power of love, the power of a hug.

A hug may seem like a simple gesture, but its impact goes far beyond what we can see. Outside the NICU, a hug stimulates the release of oxytocin aka the “love” hormone that makes us feel happy, reduces stress, lowers blood pressure, and strengthens bonds (Quite the same as I listed above). Now imagine that same impact in the form of kangaroo care. It’s literally a superpower for premature babies: calming, connecting, and building a sense of safety with their parents.

I’m so happy to be part of an amazing group called “Support Premats”, based in Malawi. Last year, we connected through Zoom for World prematurity day and helped spread awareness and the team handed out a few bits for the mothers and babies (which they do throughout the year). But this year, the team took action on the ground at Kamuzu Central Hospital in Lilongwe. Led by the incredible Bhatupe, Thati and Doctor Maxon at the hospital. The team spent time with mothers, educated them on self-care, and reassured them that the hospital staff is there to support them every step of the way.

Dr Maxon and the Team in Lilogwe, Malawi

Dr. Maxon covered the basics of preterm birth and preeclampsia and emphasized the importance of following hospital guidelines. It was interactive too! During the Q&A session, one of the most popular questions was:
“With a premature baby, what’s the real birthday-when should we say is the date they’re born?”

(Cue giggles and some heated debate!) Medical staff v parents 🥊Even though the medical staff and mothers had split opinions, its nice to hear that their voices and concerns were heard and taken seriously to build community and work towards solutions. Hearing this has also left me with a new blog topic idea for another day. When IS a preemie baby’s birthday? 💭

Bhatupe, the founder of Support Premats, shared her own story of having a preemie and how this vision came to life in Malawi. Hearing real experiences from women who’ve been there made the mothers feel less isolated and gave them hope. It’s these authentic connections that remind young mothers, who might doubt their abilities, that they are enough. Their baby doesn’t need perfection; they just need love, and lots of skin-to-skin care.

I’ll admit, when I started kangaroo care, it was a bit overwhelming. Sitting in a room with other parents and nothing but a blanket covering my top half. My mind was racing with worries. Are they judging me? Am I holding my baby the right way? But the truth? Nobody was looking at me! Everyone was too focused on their own little ones. Even if someone glanced over, it wasn’t to critique my kangaroo care techniques- if there are any.

That skin-to-skin time turned out to be the most calming experience for both me and my baby. As he rested on my chest, his heartbeat would slow, and so would mine. It became a moment of pure connection, and it made breastfeeding feel natural once he was ready.

Now, here’s where things get funny. My husband was initially worried about his “hairy chest” during kangaroo care. He honestly thought our baby might be uncomfortable, or worse, traumatized by the fluff! I couldn’t help but laugh because let’s be real, our baby didn’t care. In fact, I’m pretty sure the extra warmth from all that chest hair was like a bonus blanket—a solid +1°C! To this day, I secretly think my son enjoyed kangaroo time with his dad more than with me.

Holles Street NICU, Dublin, Ireland

But that’s the beauty of parenting a preemie. You embrace the quirks, share the laughs, and celebrate every small action that makes a big impact on your baby’s journey.