Maternal and newborn care

A sick newborn can deteriorate in hours. Knowing the danger signs, and acting on them at the first facility or community contact, is one of the most powerful things a PHC worker can do.

About one in ten newborns needs help to start breathing. In a primary health centre the person in the room is often the only skilled attendant. This session is about being ready for that moment.

Birth asphyxia, a baby failing to start or keep breathing at birth, is one of the leading causes of newborn death, and the burden falls heavily on primary health centres. Most affected babies need only simple, timely steps.

Nigeria has one of the highest numbers of preterm births in the world, and many small babies die within days of problems that are preventable with warmth, feeding and timely referral.

Jaundice is common in newborns and usually harmless, but at high levels it causes permanent brain damage. Nurses and midwives at the PHC are the key to catching it early.

A newborn who is not feeding, is warm to touch or has stopped moving normally may have sepsis, a blood infection that can kill within hours. This session is about recognising it fast and acting at PHC level.

Most newborn deaths happen in the first week of life, and most of them in primary health centres and homes. This session walks frontline health workers through the six essential steps that give every baby the best start.