Every year on 17th November, the world observes World Prematurity Day, a day dedicated to raising awareness about the challenges facing preterm babies and the need for improved care and support. At the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) Hospital, this year’s celebration advocated greater community support and honoured mothers of preterm babies.
Throughout this year, the Paediatric Society of Ghana, together with the KNUST Hospital, has chosen the entire month of November to celebrate mothers of preterm babies and draw attention to issues surrounding prematurity.
Dr. Mrs. Betty Nkansah Osei-Mensah, Acting Head of the Paediatrics and Child Health Unit at KNUST Hospital, emphasized the significance of the observance.
“This month is set aside to advocate for support for mothers with preterm babies,” she noted.
“In our facility, we have dedicated today to celebrate our mothers and also to advocate to the community that these mothers need support, and babies who are preterm can also grow to live a normal life so far as we give them the best of care.”
She added that the hospital walks hand-in-hand with families throughout their child’s development, ensuring emotional and medical support every step of the way.
“We love them. We are in it together with them in every step in their child’s development,” she shared.
Dr. Bhavana Singh from the Paediatrics Unit also highlighted the milestone significance of the celebration at KNUST Hospital.
“This is the first time of the celebration, and the University Health Services intends to celebrate it every year,” she explained.
“We want people to understand that coming to this world before time doesn’t make you different. We are all the same. It is not a stigma to have a preterm baby, and we intend to celebrate this every year.
One of the mothers, Mrs. Rita Yawsom, shared her emotional journey with her preterm baby, whom she delivered in the seventh month of pregnancy.
“I gave birth in the 7th month when I felt some pain in my abdomen and the doctors told me it was childbirth,” she said.
She recalled the fear she felt upon seeing her baby for the first time.
“The next morning when I saw my baby in the incubator, I was scared because he was very small and I had never seen one before. He was weighing as low as 1.7 kg, but the doctors encouraged me that it will be well. But I was disturbed,” she shared.
Despite the anxiety and uncertainty, Rita expressed gratitude for the medical team and encouraged other mothers to trust the process.
“It is challenging and painful, but if you follow the instructions of the doctors, in a few months you will see your child grow to be a normal baby as you were expecting the baby to be,” she shared.
As KNUST Hospital commits to making this an annual celebration, they hope to break the stigma around prematurity and remind the community that with care, compassion, and understanding, every preterm baby has the chance to thrive.
Story: Abena Serwaa Gyamfi
