Questions,
Answered.

In case of an emergency and the mother gives birth at home, both the mother and the baby must go to the health facility within 48 hours.

This is crucial for:

• Examining the mother for any hidden complications (like excessive bleeding or infection).
• Ensuring the baby receives essential birth vaccines such as BCG and the Oral Polio Vaccine (OPV).

Yes — call 0800 720 720 and give your exact location. The hotline team coordinates with county ambulance services in all 20 priority counties.

Under the EWENE Rapid Results Initiative, response time targets are:

• Urban areas: under 60 minutes
• Rural areas: under 90 minutes

Immediately visit the nearest health facility if you notice any of these danger signs:

• Stops or has difficulty breastfeeding.
• Has difficulty or fast breathing.
• Feels hot or unusually cold.
• Becomes less active or has convulsions/twitching.
• Body becomes yellow, especially eyes, palms, and soles.
• Signs of local infection: the umbilical area is red or draining pus, skin boils, or eyes draining pus.

The Ministry of Health recommends at least 8 ANC contacts during your pregnancy, starting as soon as you realize you are pregnant.

Attending all 8 visits helps in:

• Early detection and management of pregnancy-related complications.
• Promoting better nutrition and administering essential supplements like Iron and Folic Acid.
• Birth preparedness and planning for postnatal care.

Promoting Mothers in Pregnancy Through SMS (PROMPTS) is a free service that supports you through pregnancy and your baby's first year and up to 5 years of age.

It sends helpful health messages and reminders to your phone via SMS and connects you to a trained Health Service Provider if you report a danger sign.

To join: Send the word 'MAMA' to 21884 via SMS. It does not matter what type of phone you have, and you don't need airtime or internet access.

A pregnant woman is encouraged to:

• Eat 3 regular meals, one extra small meal and 2 snacks each day.
• Eat at least 5 of the 10 food groups each day (e.g., legumes/beans, nuts, dairy, eggs, fish/poultry, orange/yellow fruits, dark green vegetables).
• Consume plenty of safe water throughout the day.

Obstetric Point-of-Care Ultrasound (OPOCUS) should be offered twice during pregnancy:

• First scan: Between 18-24 weeks
• Second scan: Between 34-36 weeks

These scans are critical for confirming fetal viability, assessing position/presentation, estimating gestational age, evaluating amniotic fluid (liquor) volume, and identifying complications early.

To ensure a safe delivery, couples should prepare together. An individual birth plan includes:

• Deciding where to give birth (health facility).
• Identifying a birth companion.
• Identifying transport to use before, during labor, and after delivery.
• Raising funds for transport, delivery charges, and essential supplies.
• Identifying possible blood donors in case of heavy bleeding.
• Packing an emergency bag with baby and mother clothes, maternity pads, and diapers.

Male involvement is vital because it provides emotional, psychological, and practical support to the expectant mother.

• When partners accompany mothers to health facilities, it improves attendance at antenatal appointments.
• It allows fathers to ask questions directly to healthcare providers and understand the mother's needs.
• Active male participation demonstrates shared responsibility and ensures a supportive environment.
• Men play a critical role during emergencies by arranging transport, providing funds, and ensuring prompt decision-making.

Always use prophylactic uterotonics at the 3rd stage of labor to prevent Post-partum Hemorrhage (PPH). Options include:

• Oxytocin: 10 IU IV over 1-2 minutes OR IM if IV line is not available
• Heat Stable Carbetocin: 100 mcg IM or IV over 1 minute
• Misoprostol: 600 mcg per oral or sublingual
• Ergometrine: 500 µg IM/I
• Syntomentrine: (Oxytocin + ergometrine fixed-dose). Give 5 IU/500 µg IM

Proper cord care prevents infections, which can lead to sepsis and death in newborns:

• Always wash your hands with water and soap before handling your baby.
• Put a small amount of CHX gel on your finger and apply it around the base of the cord.
• No other substances should be used. AVOID powder, oils, ash, surgical spirit/methylated spirit, and traditional herbs.

The cord stump usually falls off within 7-14 days.

Yes. According to Kenya Ministry of Health guidelines, mothers living with HIV are encouraged to exclusively breastfeed their babies for the first 6 months while taking antiretroviral treatment (ARVs).

Taking HIV medicine every day consistently greatly reduces the risk of transmitting HIV to the baby. Other nutritious foods should be introduced at 6 months, with continued breastfeeding as advised by your healthcare provider.

Care for preterm newborns requires specific attention to prevent hypothermia and complications:

• Practice Kangaroo Mother Care (KMC) for preterm babies weighing between 1000g and 2499g to maintain warmth, promote bonding, support breastfeeding, and reduce complications.
• Preterm babies born before 34 weeks or weighing under 2000g should be transferred to the newborn unit immediately after birth.
• During any transfer, ensure the baby is kept warm through skin-to-skin contact, thermal blankets, or radiant warmers, and continuously monitor their breathing.

Kenya's EWENE campaign tracks progress directly against the 2030 SDG Targets:

The 10 pillars driving the EWENE Acceleration Plan are:

1. Policy & Planning — Strengthening leadership and governance.
2. Gender & Equity — Protecting vulnerable populations.
3. Financing & Investment — Mobilizing sustainable funding through SHA and domestic sources.
4. Response & Resilience — Emergency preparedness and crisis response.
5. Quality of Care — Safe, respectful, and high-quality care.
6. Data & Monitoring — Real-time accountability.
7. Health Workforce — Skilled, distributed professionals.
8. Commodities & Tech — Improving access to life-saving medicines.
9. Advocacy & Community Engagement — Driving community-led accountability.
10. Research & Innovation — Scaling innovative health models.

Scaling maternal and newborn care in Kenya across 47 counties and 80% of sub-county facilities requires an estimated US$138 Million investment.

The projected outcomes of this investment per year include:

• 47,000 newborn lives saved.
• 4,600 maternal lives saved.
• $8-12 return per $1 invested into the system.

The EWENE initiative focuses on high-impact interventions coverage with the following targets:

• 90% of pregnant women receive at least four antenatal care visits.
• 90% of women give birth with a skilled health worker present.
• 80% of new mothers and their babies receive postnatal care within two days of birth.
• 80% of counties have sick and small newborn care units and emergency obstetric care accessible for at least half of the population.