Download Resource - Healthy Newborn Network

Factors
Conclusions and Summary
Findings
Informational • Weighing of newborn is practiced by mothers in only a few districts.
• Majority of mothers relate weight of the newborn to diet of the mother but most do not know
that how much should a baby weigh at birth
• Appearance is the common criterion to judge whether a newborn is normal or not, hence the
perception of normal weight is very subjective and visual.
• Most participants were aware that the newborns at health facility are weighed.
• Very few mothers consider less than normal weight as a condition for which a health care
provider needs to be visited.
• Frequent breastfeeding and keeping an LBW baby warm were reported as key home management
practice in many districts.
• Supplemental feeding with buffalo, cow or goat milk, butter, sugar crystals, honey, herbs, etc.
reported.
• Diet of a breastfeeding mother of an LBW baby is also considered important and it was
reported to be improved in some districts.
• None of the mothers are applying skin-to-skin contact.
• Reasons given for LBW are both medical and superstition. Medical reasons mainly include
insufficient diet and heavy workload, while a few also mentioned illness of mother, early marriage,
frequent pregnancies. God’s will and spirit possession were the core superstitious reasons.
• Misconceptions about the reason for LBW also exists, such as not getting TT vaccination.
Socio-Cultural • Although majority of the mothers related diet and medicines for gaining strength during
pregnancy with the health/weight of the newborn but they said they could not use those.
LBW baby is considered to be possessed by evil eye or evil spirits.
• In some districts many practices carried out to increase the weight of the newborn are based
on traditional beliefs and knowledge and do not relate in any way with the diet or warmth of
the newborn.
• Visiting shrines for LBWs and seeking spiritual healing is a common practice in some districts.
• Some socio-cultural practices for LBWs can harm the baby, such as the practice of feeding fly,
or bathing daily at the shrine.
22 l Formative Research on Neonatal Sepsis, Low Birth Weight AND Birth Asphyxia