Julie Gibson, trust manager for the NGST, stated that half of babies born before 32 weeks (preterm) in low-income settings die due to a lack of feasible cost-effective care, including incubation facilities, breastfeeding support, prevention of infections and basic respiratory interventions. In contrast to this, almost all preemie babies born in high-income settings survive. Babies who would have died a few decades ago can survive today due to special care received in Neonatal Intensive Care Units (NICU’s). This makes neonatal intensive care one of the triumphs of modern medicine. Nevertheless, in low-income settings where proper neonatal intensive care is often not available, only around 50% of preterm babies survive.
This is why Huggies® once again wholeheartedly supports this year’s Wear Purple for Preemies-campaign, an initiative of the Newborns Groote Schuur Trust, where the public can help raise awareness about World Prematurity Day and the needs of prematurely born babies, and also assist with fundraising to improve the lives of premature babies and their parents.
“The Neonatal Unit at Groote Schuur looks after 3 200 babies born in the region annually. Close to 600 of these babies have a birth weight of less than 1 500g, which is less than half the weight a healthy baby should be,” said Gibson. “Our occupancy rate is often120% instead of the ideal 80%, therefore our facilities are stretched and far beyond minimum standards. Overcrowding leads to the increased risk of infection and further complications for these very vulnerable babies, placing their lives at risk.”
The goal of this year’s Wear Purple for Preemies-campaign is to help raise funds to upgrade and expand the specialist hospital care dedicated to prematurely born babies at the Groote Schuur Hospital’s Neonatal and Ultrasound Units.
“The planned expansion and refurbishment will directly contribute to the reduction of infection rates, provide the space required for mothers to be actively involved in the daily care of their babies, improve the overall efficiency and functioning of the unit, provide improved working conditions for staff and help to maintain the hospital’s position as one of the largest and well recognised training hospitals in Africa,” concluded Gibson.
Members of the public can support Wear Purple for Preemies by buying a sticker for R10 and wearing purple on World Prematurity Day - and by encouraging friends and family to do the same.
• Call (021) 404 6023 or email enquiries@newborns.org.za to place an order for the stickers or to find out where you can buy tickets yourself.
• Alternatively, visit www.newborns.org.za to make a direct donation to the NGST.
In order to create awareness around prematurity and to commemorate World Prematurity Day, Huggies® staff will themselves be buying stickers and are encouraging people to join them in supporting the Wear Purple for Preemies-campaign. Huggies® is playing a further role in providing care to preterm babies with their Preemies nappies. This allows Huggies® to be part of your baby’s journey from their very first moment.
A premature nappy needs to offer fragile little babies optimum protection. It needs to be highly absorbent and made from natural, breathable materials. The correct fit is key as oversized nappies can cause the baby to lie with their legs in a ‘frog like’ position, which hampers muscle tone development, a major challenging factor in premature babies’ motor skills development.
Huggies® supports World Prematurity Day and invites you to donate or to buy a sticker and to support preemie babies by Wearing Purple proudly!
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