Madiha Shafi, Zia Ullah, Humaira Mehmood, Saeed Afsar.
Newborn handling practices of mothers in rural areas of Kahuta, Pakistan: a cross-sectional study.
Pak J Public Health Jan ;6(1):27-30.

Background: Newborn mortality isone of the most neglected health problems. The first week of life is most crucial period in the life of an infant. The high neonatal mortality and morbidity rates indicate the fragility of life during this period. Childbirth and the neonatal period are culturally important times, during which there is strong adherence to traditional practices. Care practices at and immediately following delivery can contribute to newborn morbidity and mortality. Objectives: The objectives of study were to highlight the harmful practices carried out by mothers during newborn handling and to compare the differences in handling of newbornsdelivered bydoctors, nursesand dais. Methodology: It was a descriptive cross sectional study carried out from June to October 2009 in Tehsil Kahuta, District Rawalpindi. A pretested questionnaire was prepared and completed by interview. Mothers of infants under six monthsof age were chosen by multistage systematic random sampling and data on their demographics, place of delivery, birth attendants, cord care, bathing of baby, vernix removal, exclusive breast feeding, practice of giving oolostrumsand prelacteal feed wasoollected. Results: The results showed that application of ghee on cord, giving prelacteal feed, vernbc removal and giving water along with breast milk were common practices. There was significant difference in handling of newborns delivered byskilledand unskilled attendants (p<0.05) Conclusion: Due to lackof knowledge and awareness, the traditional harmful practicesstill persist. People need to besensitized towardstheadverse effectsoftraditional practices before we can expect any improvement. Keywords: Newborn, harmful practice'

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