A study on newborn care practices among the mothers residing in slums of Kanpur Nagar.

ABSTRACT

Introduction: Despite efforts by government and other agencies, neonatal mortality is still high in our country. Among all other reasons, lack of proper newborn care practices is one of the major contributors for such high rates of mortality. This study was undertaken to assess newborn care practices among mothers residing in slum areas. Material & Methods: A cross sectional study was carried out among 360 mothers of infants in slums of Kanpur. A pre designed and pre tested questionnaire was used. Percentages, chi-square & Fischer’s exact test was used to analyse data using SPSS. Results: Nearly 23.05% deliveries were conducted at home, mostly by untrained dais. Bathing the baby after birth was practiced in 44.45% of home deliveries. In case of home deliveries, eyes were cleaned in 69.95% cases , weight was taken in 29.02% newborns and cord was cut with unsterile blade in 19.2% cases. Turmeric powder with oil or ghee was applied on cord in 94% of home deliveries and in 17.3% of hospital deliveries after the child was brought home. A significant difference was seen in cord care practices in home and hospital deliveries. Early initiation of breast feeding and colostrum was given by 35.5% and prelacteal feed was given by 63.9%. Conclusion: Awareness regarding newborn care practices was good among mothers who delivered their babies in institutions, as depicted by various healthy practices followed by them which were significantly associated with institutional deliveries.