<div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Aga Khan University Hospital held their annual preemies and mothers day to celebrate nine years of preemie care for babies born premature at the hospital since the event was started in 2007.

The forum brought together over 300 participants including; expectant women and their spouses, new mothers, parents of babies born preterm with their babies and young couples wanting to conceive to interact freely and share their experience.

</span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">A multidisciplinary team of professionals including consultant gynaecologists, paediatric and neonatal nurses, midwives, lactation managers and counselors were available to answer questions of interest from the participants. Of importance to the participants were the current trends in delivery care, bonding and communicating with the baby, preemie parenting, the importance of touch and weaning.

</span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">New mothers were also taken through a training session on breastfeeding by the hospital lactation managers on the best breastfeeding positions to ensure the baby’s satisfaction comfort.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">
Dr Wangira Musana, Consultant gynaecologist at the hospital advised expectant women to regularly attend antenatal clinics for early identification of possible pregnancy complications leading to premature deliveries.

</span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">“Prenatal care offers the opportunity to counsel women on how best to prepare for the birth process including identifying early labor signs and symptoms such as early pregnancy bleeding, rupture of membranes and draining of amniotic fluid and early uterine contractions. All these also lead to early interventions, which can either prevent preterm births or lead to better survival of babies who are born preterm.”

</span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">According to Dr Musana a lot can be done to prevent preterm birth, as well as to improve the care of the preterm born baby. Delivering in a health facility as well as good neonatal care are crucial for preterm survival.</span></div><p></p>