Child Survival - Mother's e-Guide

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Child Survival: Family & Hygiene Practises

Health Care Providers should always emphasize on the following points for Mothers and Families

1. Hand-washing

2. Post Natal Care

Always visit health facilities for your Postnatal Care (PNC). Attending and completing PNC gives you and your baby many advantages.

Essential routine PNC for all mothers include:

Assess and check for bleeding, check temperature.
Support breastfeeding, checking the breasts to prevent mastitis
Manage anaemia, promote nutrition and insecticide treated nets, give vitamin A supplements
Provide counselling and a range of options for family planning
Refer for complications such as: bleeding, infections or postnatal depression
Counsel on danger signs/ home care.

Essential routine PNC for all newborns include:

Assess for danger signs, measure and record weight; check temperature and feeding.
Support optimal feeding practises, particularly exclusive breastfeeding.
Promote hygiene and good skin, eye and cord care.
Ensure warmth by delaying the baby’s first bath to after 24 hours, practising skin-to-skin care and putting a hat on the baby.
Encourage and facilitate birth registration
Refer for routine immunisation.
Counsel on danger signs and home care

3. Early and Exclusive Breastfeeding

Breastfeeding has many health benefits for both the mother and the baby. Breast milk contains all the nutrients a baby needs in the first six months of life. It protects against diarrhoea and childhood diseases like pneumonia.
Initiate breastfeeding within one hour after giving birth
Breastfeed the baby exclusively for six months after birth
Breastfeed on demand day and night

4. Immunisation for Children

Immunisation is the best and effective way to protect children against deadly diseases.

Immunisation schedule as approved by the Federal Government of Nigeria. Let your Child be Vaccinated today – Stay Healthy.

Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding for Health Institutions

Every Facility Providing Maternity Services and Care for Newborn and Infants in general should:

Have a written breastfeeding policy that is routinely communicated to all health care staff
Train all health care staff in skills necessary to implement this policy.
Inform all pregnant women about the benefits and management of breastfeeding.
Help mothers initiate breastfeeding within a half-hour of birth
Show mothers how to breastfeed and how to maintain lactation even if they should be separated from their infants.
Give newborns no food or drink other than beast-milk, unless medically indicated.
Practice rooming-in, it allows mothers and infants to remain together -24 hours a day.
Encourage breastfeeding on demand.
Give no artificial teats or pacifier (also called dummies or soothers) to breastfeeding infants.
Foster the establishment of breastfeeding support groups and refer mothers to them on discharge from the hospital or clinic.