To ensure every child survives and thrives to reach their full potential, we must focus on improving care around the time of birth and the first week of life.

The high rates of preventable death and poor health and well-being of newborns and children under the age of five are indicators of the uneven coverage of life-saving interventions and, more broadly, of inadequate social and economic development. Poverty, poor nutrition and insufficient access to clean water and sanitation are all harmful factors, as is insufficient access to quality health services such as essential care for newborns. 

Health promotion, disease prevention services (such as vaccinations) and treatment of common childhood illnesses are essential if children are to thrive as well as survive.

The first 28 days of a child’s life – the neonatal, or newborn, period – carries the highest risk of death. It is also the most dangerous period for the newborn’s mother. Each year, 2.4 million newborns die, 1.9 million babies are stillborn and 295,000 women die globally during pregnancy or childbirth. More than 800,000 newborns die on the first day of life, making the day of birth the most dangerous day for babies in nearly every country.

Main focus on preventing and treating the main causes of newborn deaths: preterm birth, infections and complications during childbirth. These three conditions account for more than 80 percent of newborn deaths. Basic, low-cost care can save up to two-thirds of newborn lives when provided by trained health workers.

These key practices and interventions can dramatically increase a newborn’s chance of survival:

• Essential newborn care for all babies, which includes a clean delivery, encouraging skin-to-skin contact with the mother after birth, umbilical cord care, immediate and exclusive breastfeeding, and resuscitation at birth for non-breathing newborns.
• Kangaroo Mother Care (KMC), a proven intervention that includes continuous skin-to-skin contact between mother and baby, exclusive breastmilk feeding, and early discharge from hospital. Ensuring KMC in health facilities and follow-up and support for continuation at home to improve survival of preterm and low birthweight babies.
• Identification and timely initiation of appropriate antibiotic treatment of possible serious bacterial infections in newborns.