November 27, 2017
Wahakura added to maternity units
Nelson Marlborough Health intends to teach people how to weave their own wahakura to mark Te Ra Mokopuna or National Safe Sleep day on Friday.
It's also investing in more safe sleep devices for babies.
Its general manager for Maori health and vulnerable populations, Ditre Tamatea, says 80 per cent of the babies that die from SUDI or Sudden Unexpected Death in Infancy nationally are Maori.
The rates in the Nelson Marlborough region are significantly higher for Maori than non-Maori.
The pepiPods, minipods and wahakura or traditional flax bassinets will go in the maternity units at Nelson and Wairau hospitals to reinforce safe sleep messages and help support mothers and babies in the early days with safe sleeping, breastfeeding and bonding.
Other initiatives include the purchase of non-motorised breast pumps to help support infant breast feeding rates, and the Pepi First incentivised quit smoking programme which targets pregnant mothers to give up smoking.
Next year the board will pilot a Hapu Ora Kaupapa Maori pregnancy and parenting programme.
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