Familycentred care and zero-separation on November 29th 2022

Today, mothers and newborns are routinely separated directly after birth if there is a need for specialised treatment and care. This happens despite continued evidence showing the significant positive effects of ensuring close contact between babies and their parents.  Keeping mothers and newborns together, even when the baby requires a neonatal admission, is a person-centred approach to care with several potential benefits, including the promotion of breast-feeding and immediate kangaroo care, which can reduce newborn illness and deaths.     

Under the umbrella of family-centred care, this session introduced the concept of zero mother-baby separation and explored to what extent this concept is applied in MSF, the main barriers and challenges, and how can we overcome these by adapting the concept to fit the reality of MSF projects.  

Chairperson: introduction – Sophie Janet, MSF Paediatric Advisor

Immediate “Kangaroo Mother Care” and Survival of Infants with Low Birth Weight – Dr Naomi Amon, Paediatrician and neonatology fellow at Muhimbili University

Scaling Up the Family Integrated Care Model in a Level IIIC NICU - Dr Bárbara Moreno-Sanz

Parent’s perspective on the impact of zero-separation – Tasmin Bota, Executive Director of Preemieconnect

Panel discussion with invited guests: Moderator – Kirrily de Polnay, WHO Invited speakers – Naomi Amon; Bárbara Moreno-Sanz; Tasmin Bota MSF Operational representative – Livia Tampellini MSF Paediatric nurse and Clinical officer – Honorine Uwaringenzi Chairperson: wrap-up and key messages – Sophie Janet

Find all the other agenda items on Day 1: Family centred care and zero-separation on Youtube:

Dr. Maria Guevara, Medical Secretary MSF International, delivers the opening speech 

Nieves Amat Camacho - Oral Presentation "BREASTFEEDING PROMOTION AND SUPPORT AMONG INFANTS AGED LESS THAN 6 MONTHS IN MAIDUGURI, NIGERIA: CAREGIVERS’ AND HEALTH WORKERS’ PERSPECTIVES" and Q&A with event moderator Myrto Schaeffer

Karine Le Roch - Oral Presentation "EVALUATION OF THE PSYCHOSOCIAL IMPACTS OF BABY FRIENDLY SPACES FOR ROHINGYA REFUGEE MOTHERS AND THEIR MALNOURISHED INFANTS LIVING IN COX’S BAZAR, BANGLADESH" and Q&A with event moderator Myrto Schaeffer

Ayoub Mitha -  Oral presentation "EARLY SKIN-TO-SKIN CONTACT AND NEURODEVELOPMENTAL OUTCOME AT 5½ YEARS IN VERY PRETERM INFANTS: THE EPIPAGE-2 COHORT STUDY" and Q&A with event moderator Myrto Schaeffer

Sandra Harlass Oral presentation "SAVING NEWBORN LIVES AND IMPROVING MATERNAL HEALTH AMONG REFUGEES IN WEST AFRICA" and Q&A with event moderator Myrto Schaeffer

PaED TALK - Katherine Haciomeroglu " Le wi go ple ple"Katherine Haciomeroglu, Child Life expert delivers a Talk about the importance of play in humanitarian paediatric context

Live demo: MSF Newborn Care Training – Johanna Thomson

The Power of Paed Days: Interview with Many Mashako

Live demo: Young infant e-CARE – Maria Belen Italia Cenere, MSF