Background
Skin-to-skin contact, or kangaroo mother care, means that when a baby is born, it is immediately cleaned and placed skin-to-skin on the mother’s chest. This close contact gives the mother the opportunity to observe the baby’s health and can help encourage early breastfeeding. In Sokoto state in Nigeria, many newborn babies are traditionally handed to the woman’s relatives instead of her, which delays both the initial breastfeeding and the bonding between the mother and child, exposing the baby to higher risks of health problems and infections. Sokoto state has a high newborn mortality rate and most of these deaths occur within the first few days after birth.

About the project
This project was created to promote the health of mothers and newborns at the Women and Children Welfare Clinic in Sokoto state, by training midwives on the benefits of skin-to-skin contact and exclusive breastfeeding. After the training, the midwives and the project team implemented a number of changes to encourage early skin-to-skin contact. This included giving health talks three times a week to mothers with newborns, to inform them about the benefits, teach them breastfeeding techniques and improve their self-esteem. The midwives also established new routines at the clinic, for example introducing skin-to-skin contact between mothers and babies within one hour after all deliveries.

Results
By the end of the project, 15 midwives had been trained and implemented the project in their daily work. 550 mothers benefited from this method over the five-month project period and now the skin-to-skin/kangaroo mother care is a routine procedure for all women giving birth in the clinic. This has led to an increased number of women choosing to deliver at this clinic.

Year: 2006