Fiji welcomes 2018’s first baby
2018’s first baby – a girl – was born at 1.44 am on New Year’s Day in Suva, the island capital of Fiji, a country in the
Pacific. Joana Sovocala, in her late 30’s, gave birth to her seventh child at Suva’s Colonial War Memorial Hospital. The
New Year baby, who weighs 3.3 kg, is named Vilisi Ciri Sovocala. Born without complications after 6 hours of labour,
both mother and baby are healthy and doing well.
Immeditaely after birth, Joana hugged and breastfed her baby to reduce any chances of infection. Delaying breastfeeding
by 2-23 hours after birth can increase the risk of a newborn dying by more than 40 per cent.
UNICEF’s estimates show that 47 babies will be born in Fiji on New Year’s Day. The Fijian baby will join nearly 386,000
children to be born worldwide on New Year’s Day, including about 770 babies across the Pacific Islands. While many of
these babies will survive, some will not make it past their first day. In 2016, an estimated 2,600 children died
globally within the first 24 hours every day of the year. Of every thousand babies born in Fiji, 9 children died in the
first month.
In all, 2.6 million children died before the end of their first month in 2016. Among those, more than 80 per cent of all
newborn deaths are due to preventable and treatable causes such as premature birth, complications during delivery, and
infections like sepsis and pneumonia. In February, UNICEF will launch a new global campaign demanding affordable,
quality health care for every mother and newborn.