NICU Soldiers, Ghandour Cosmetics celebrate World Prematurity Day at Korle Bu
NICU Soldiers, an advocacy blog committed to addressing issues in neonatal intensive care units (NICU), has collaborated with Ghandour Cosmetics Limited, a leading brand of personal care products in Ghana to celebrate this year’s World Prematurity Day at the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital in Accra.
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The event, held last Friday, under the theme "Small actions, BIG IMPACT: Immediate skin-to-skin care for every baby everywhere", aimed to raise awareness on the challenges faced by preterm (born before 37 weeks) babies and their families.
Kangaroo care
This year’s theme emphasised the importance of skin-to-skin contact (Kangaroo care) to all infants, especially premature babies.
Speaking at the event, Senior Specialist Paediatrician at the NICU of the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital, Dr Kojo Ahor-Essel, highlighted the various challenges faced by preterm babies, such as difficulties in maintaining warmth, feeding, and fighting infections.
He said the small actions taken by the health workers and the mothers, such as providing adequate nutrition, warmth, and care, can have a huge impact on the survival and development of the babies.
Dr Kojo Ahor-Essel, Senior Specialist Paediatrician, speaking at the event
Commending NICU Soldiers and Ghandour Cosmetics for their thoughtful gesture, Dr Ahor-Essel spoke out against the stigma and discrimination attached to preterm babies.
compassion
He said most causes of prematurity are unknown or beyond the control of mothers, urging the public to show compassion and support for families of preterm babies and celebrate their achievements.
The Brand Manager at Ghandour Cosmetics, Victoria Abaka, expressed the company's decision to participate in the event as part of its corporate social responsibility and commitment to customer satisfaction and safety.
She therefore, expressed the hope that the gifts given to the mothers would encourage them and help them in taking care of their babies.
A Clinical Psychologist Yasmin Mohammed, reiterated the importance of support for parents whose babies were on admission at the unit.
She said peer support had been shown to reduce parental stress, anxiety and depression for parents with babies at the NICU.
As part of the event, Ghandour Cosmetics distributed packs of body care, hygiene, baby care products to parents with babies in the NICU at the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital.
The celebration was aslo marked by music, dance, a skit on caring for preterm babies and testimonials from parents sharing their experiences and challenges of having preterm babies.