Kangaroo Mother Care in Malawi: Improving uptake using a customized wrap

With the highest rate of preterm birth globally, Malawi has prioritized the implementation of Kangaroo Mother Care (KMC) to improve newborn health and reduce mortality and morbidity. Lærdal Global Health developed an ergonomic baby carrier, the CarePlus wrap, to improve KMC practice. This wrap has the potential to be produced locally at a low cost. In partnership with the Ministry of Health, Save the Children implemented an operations research study to determine whether the customized CarePlus wrap improves KMC practice and whether its uptake is feasible across Malawi. This study provides evidence that a customized KMC wrap is highly acceptable to mothers and contributes to improved skin-to-skin practices while in facility KMC.