Betancourt OSL, Guanga LVE

Language: Spanish
References: 0
Page: 355-368
PDF size: 466.82 Kb.

ABSTRACT

Rationale: Peripartum practices have been described that might minimize losses of iron and thus protect the newborn baby with low birth weight from anemia and malnutrition. Objective: To assess the impact of timely clamping of umbilical cord, precocious skin-to-skin contact and early initiation of breastfeeding upon nutritional status, and presence of anemia, in newborn babies with low birth weight in an Ecuador health area. Study location: Hospitals of the Ecuador provinces of Bolívar, Los Ríos, Santa Elena Galápagos and Guayas (rural area) included within the Health Zone 5. Study design: Descriptive, cross-sectional. Study serie: Sixtyeight term, newborn babies of either sex, with low birthweight during the month of July 2016. Material and method: Impact of complying with described peripartum practices upon supine length (SL), body mass index (BMI) and serum hemoglobin of the newborn baby at 6 months of extrauterine life was assessed. Results: Twentyfive percent of the newborn babies showed low Height for age at 6 months of extrauterine life. Regarding BMI, nutritional phenotypes behaved as follows: Wasting: 4.4%; Excessive body weight: 1.5%. Anemia affected 41.2% of the newborn babies. Fulfillment of peripartum practices was as follows: Timely clamping of umbilical cord: 83.8%; Precocious attachment: 80.8%; Early initiation of breastfeeding: 83.8%. Observance of peripartum practices was associated with preserved hemoglobin values at 6 months of extrauterine life. Conclusions: Peripartum practices can be useful for preventing occurrence of anemia at 6 months of extrauterine life in newborn babies with low birthweight.