‘Mom Protect Me’ marks World Prematurity Day in Riyadh

The community event kicked off with a 3 kilometer run, hand painting, arts and crafts, photo booths and much more.

The “Mom Protect Me” awareness campaign launched with a “Kangaroo Care Fun Run” on Nov. 16 in Riyadh, to mark the World Prematurity Day.
The initiative was launched under the patronage of Princess Sarah bint Sultan at the Riyadh Golf Courses. The campaign aims to highlight the importance of healthy living for mothers and the role it plays in reducing the number of premature births.
The community event kicked off with a 3 kilometer run, hand painting, arts and crafts, photo booths and much more. Mothers, families, health care professionals and members of the public were invited to take part in the fun-filled day of activity to promote the importance of exercise for a healthy pregnancy and subsequent birth.
Launched in 2012, the “Mom Protect Me” campaign works to shine a light on the prevalence of premature births in the Kingdom, while also helping expectant mothers improve their lifestyles, to allow for adequate planning and light exercise during pregnancy.
Kangaroo care is the name of a medically recommended method used to create a bond between mothers and their premature babies. It is believed to strengthen the baby’s immune system whilst under observation in the neonatal intensive care unit.
The organization also educates families on how to adequately manage many health risks and vulnerabilities neonatal infants face upon leaving the hospital. It emphasises the importance of providing adequate health care to infants born prematurely, by sharing knowledge to help save the lives of their babies.
“Mom Protect Me” also supports mothers of premature infants in Saudi Arabia by highlighting the importance of providing adequate care for these mothers, who in turn care for premature infants suffering from health problems, which if neglected, could cause fatality.
The campaign further marked its support for World Premature Day by inviting health care professionals from leading hospitals across Riyadh, including the King Fahd National Guard Hospital in Riyadh, King Saud Medical City, King Faisal Specialist Hospital & Research Center, the Special Forces Hospital, King Salman Hospital and Prince Sultan Military Medical City.
Observed annually on Nov. 17, the World Prematurity Day was established to mark concerns relating to preterm births and the vulnerabilities faced by such infants, with a goal of eventually reducing premature birth rates.