Skin-to-skin wraps provided to 1500 new mothers in war-torn Ukraine
The CarePlus wrap has been utilized in 21 maternity units across Ukraine as part of a package of support provided by Maternal & Childhealth Advocacy International.
Maternal & Childhealth Advocacy International (MCAI) - a UK based medical charity with a track record of helping to save the lives of and improve outcomes for pregnant women and babies in countries at war – has been distributing a package of perinatal care to 61 hospitals across Ukraine.
This program has supplied 300 Laerdal CarePlus preterm wraps to hospitals across the country since the war began, to prevent hypothermia in newborn babies, improve breastfeeding, prevent infection, improve maternal/infant bonding, and overall improve the outcomes of small and vulnerable newborns.
Detailed data collected by MCAI and their in-country partners on the use and effectiveness of the package of care shows that so far, the wraps have been used by at least 1556 new mothers in 21 hospitals since February 2022, showing the need for and acceptability of these wraps for newborns right across Ukraine.
“We know how important it is to keep newborn babies warm and close with their mothers or caregivers after birth. With numerous instances of electrical outages in hospitals across Ukraine during the conflict, the skin-to-skin wraps are a simple but highly effective solution and are particularly important for low-birth-weight babies. The CarePlus wrap is a well-designed and well-made product that is being used and appreciated in maternity units in Ukraine. We want more maternity units across the country to have the opportunity to offer this intervention.”
MCAI have placed an order for a further 200 CarePlus wraps, which will reach more maternity units in Ukraine in the coming months. Along with the skin-to-skin wraps, the perinatal support provided by MCAI includes up-to-date medical equipment, emergency drugs and other vital supplies that maternity and neonatal hospitals may need. The charity is also studying the effectiveness of mothers utilizing fetal heart rate monitors during labor. You can find out more about the program here.