On the World Premature Day, November seventeenth this yr, a number of “abuelas de Los Nórdicos” from Almuñecar be taught concerning the unimaginable work of the Neonatal Unit of the University Hospital San Cecilio of Granada.
Since 2016 ten to twenty ladies of Los Nórdicos have been knitting and crocheting blankets, socks and squids for untimely infants with a particular yarn financed by the Asociación Los Nórdicos (AHN-CN). Once a yr we ship the outcomes to Hospital Santa Ana in Motril. They have handed on the excess to the a lot greater unit of the Hospital in Granada.
The Hospital of Granada invited us to rejoice World Premature Day with them. Representatives from the ‘Stickeklubben Tina’ and myself have been greeted by a communication workforce and the accountable workers of the Neonatal Unit of the Granada Hospital. We bought the run-through of the work and discovered that the ‘kangaroo’ methodology (dad and mom or different members of the family hugging the untimely infants for a lot of hours a day, skin-to-skin) is not too long ago launched. This has been used a very long time in nations like Norway or Sweden.
We obtained a variety of appreciation for the decade-long help they’ve obtained to their ropero solidario (solidarity wardrobe) of high-quality blankets and different knitted beauties for folks to make use of for his or her infants, particularly concentrating on these most weak and missing sources.
That day the Unit had 12 untimely infants, a number of in intensive care. The tiniest twins have been born a couple of weeks beforehand after which weighed solely 440 and 480 grams every! We had the chance to ship blankets and pulpos on to among the dad and mom, and to speak to each dad and mom and workers. We even mentioned a potential trade between a neonatal unit in Norway and people in Granada and Motril.
The lead individual within the knitting membership of Los Nórdicos, Kirsti Arnöy Hakansson, has private expertise of being a kangaroo grandmother to twins, born as early as in week 23 greater than 10 years in the past. This was her set off to begin the help to the hospitals right here with the identical form of knitwork as used for untimely infants in Norway. “I consider it is a minimal gesture from us to offer again to folks in want and the Spanish society, which is giving us a lot by letting us stay right here on the gorgeous Costa Tropical”, she instructed workers on the Hospital, heartfelt.
The Granada Hospital alone attended to 353 untimely infants in 2024, of whom 15 weighed lower than a kilo and 47 lower than 1.5 kilos. During the primary ten months of 2025 that they had 251 infants of their care. “These are fairly secure numbers, despite the fact that natality charges typically are declining in Andalucia and Spain”, stated Sonia Velasco, the Head Nurse of the unit. “238 of the infants we attended since final yr have been in UCI – intensive care”.
One out of ten infants globally are thought-about untimely. In Spain it’s 6% yearly. This quantity has greater than doubled during the last 20 years. Most untimely infants will stay regular lives. Without efficient care, although, they’re at excessive danger of life-threatening well being circumstances like respiratory misery, infections, and hypothermia.
In areas of warfare, occupation or famine the state of affairs is essential. In Gaza, for instance, the medical workers of the principle hospital in Khan Younis witnessed a rise from 20% of untimely births (already a giant quantity) to nearly 60% these two final yr. This is due to multifactorial causes – malnutrition in moms, excessive stress resulting from fixed bombings and insecurities, lack of entry to ample prenatal care and hospitals, enhance fee of infections, lack of fresh water and power.
“A powerful begin isn’t nearly survival – it’s about honouring the promise of each tiny life. It’s about giving these infants the possibility not solely to outlive however to thrive and sooner or later, remodel the world”, in line with the World Health Organisation
This yr’s theme for the World Premature Day echoes WHO’s Healthy beginnings, hopeful futures marketing campaign. It reminds us that each baby deserves a good likelihood at life, ranging from their very first moments. (See extra concerning the marketing campaign: https://www.who.int/campaigns/world-prematurity-day/2025).
Governments, well being techniques, communities, and people have a shared duty to guard these tiny infants and guarantee their households get the help they want. It feels good to contribute at the least a bit of bit to this problem the place we stay!
For extra details about the actions of Los Nórdicos AHN-CN, Almuñecar-Costa Tropical, go to: www.losnordicos.com
(News/Feature: Nordic Column)
Keywords: Los Nordicos, World Premature Day, Hospital Santa Ana, Motril, Neonatal Unit, University Hospital San Cecilio
information, function, los nordicos, helene molin valdés, los nordicos, world untimely day, hospital santa ana, motril, neonatal unit, college hospital san cecilio
