Saving babies from cold

EVERY year, 6000 newborns die in Papua New Guinea due to low birth weights coupled with hypothermia which increases the risk of babies dying within the first four weeks of life, according to a doctor.
Port Moresby General Hospital chief paediatrician Dr James Amini said low birth weight meant less than 2.5 kg.
“Hypothermia happens when the body’s core temperature falls below 36.5 degree Celsius,” he said. “And since babies are small, they can become cold easily which is detrimental.”
Amini said it was important to keep the newborn warm from birth.
He said it was why the Bebi Kol Kilok was developed to monitor the body temperature of babies and detect when it drops. It is worn around the wrist. A blue light blinks once every 30 seconds.
When the temperature drops, an orange light blinks and an alarm sounds.
“This helps the parents and caregivers to quickly make the baby warm again and return to the hospital,” he said.
“The Kangaroo Mother Care (KMC) where the mother holds the baby against her chest is an effective way of making the baby warm again.”
Joan Tau, 18, from Tubuserea gave birth on Feb 19 to a baby weighing 710 grams.
She said every time the alarm sounded on her baby’s Bebi Kol Kilok, she would carry out the Kangaroo Mother Care process.