Shillong, June 23: A heartwarming story from Meghalaya’s West Jaintia Hills is drawing attention to the power of community-centred newborn care after a grandmother and a father stepped in to provide life-saving skin-to-skin care to twin boys while their mother recovered from a Caesarean section.
The twin boys, born weighing 2,400 grams and 2,800 grams respectively, received Kangaroo Mother Care (KMC) not from their mother alone but from other family members after they were counselled on the importance of skin-to-skin contact.
The case, documented from Amlarem Block in West Jaintia Hills by the Tattva Foundation, is being hailed as an example of how family participation can strengthen newborn care practices, especially in situations where mothers are temporarily unable to provide continuous care.
According to the foundation, after a single counselling session, the family immediately embraced the practice. The grandmother took one of the twins while the father held the other against his chest, keeping the babies warm and safe through continuous skin-to-skin contact.
“This is what community-centred newborn care looks like in practice,” the organisation said in a statement, adding that when mothers cannot do it alone, families can play a critical role if they are properly counselled and empowered.
Kangaroo Mother Care, recommended by the World Health Organization, involves prolonged skin-to-skin contact and exclusive breastfeeding whenever possible. The method is particularly beneficial for low-birth-weight and premature babies, helping regulate body temperature, improve breastfeeding, reduce infections and increase survival rates.
The intervention forms part of the MNCH-HCD Phase II Programme, supported by the Government of Meghalaya, the State Health Systems Resource Centre (SHSRC), Blockchain for Impact (BFI), IHCRF and UNICEF India. The programme is implemented by Tattva Foundation with academic support from Assam Don Bosco University, Guwahati, and the Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay.
The initiative is working across intervention blocks in Meghalaya to integrate family-centred newborn care into the public health system through trained frontline workers, counselling tools and community engagement.
Health experts involved in the programme say the story from Amlarem demonstrates that neonatal care is not solely the responsibility of mothers.
“Care doesn’t stop with the mother. It begins with the family,” the foundation said, describing the episode as a powerful reminder that informed families can become active partners in improving newborn survival and health outcomes in rural communities.
World Health Organisation recognises Kangaroo Mother Care as one of the world’s most effective low-cost newborn care interventions, especially in regions where advanced neonatal care is difficult to access.
For premature and low birth weight babies, KMC is considered one of the simplest and most effective forms of care. Continuous skin-to-skin contact helps babies stay warm, improves breastfeeding and reduces the risk of infections.
The practice was first developed in Colombia in 1978 when a hospital facing a shortage of incubators encouraged mothers to provide continuous skin-to-skin care instead. The results were striking — babies stayed warmer, fed better and survived in greater numbers.
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