A stronger start for newborns and new moms

As Cox’s Bazar was waking up one November morning, an auto-rickshaw sped towards the Cox’s Bazar District Sadar Hospital. Inside, a mother had given birth on the way.

Health workers rushed forward, guiding the exhausted mother and her newborn into the facility. One team took the mother to the labour ward. Another team carefully carried the tiny baby to the Special Care Newborn Unit (SCANU).

The mother was 37-year-old Misnahar. Her son had been born far too early, weighing just 900 grams and immediately started showing respiratory issues.

Inside the SCANU, nurses placed him on oxygen support, monitoring him closely. Tubes and wires surrounded his small body, with machines measuring every breath and heartbeat. For the first 24 hours, Misnahar could not hold her baby. She anxiously watched him through the glass wall surrounding the unit.

“I could not stop crying,” says Misnahar. “The first 15 days were some of the most difficult days of my life.”

One month later

Today, Misnahar’s baby weighs 1.5 kilograms. Still tiny but steadily growing stronger. She has named him Mir Mohammed Sarid.

Each day, she has been learning how to care for him. Keeping him warm with kangaroo mother care, feeding him only breastmilk, burping him gently after every feed, washing her hands frequently to protect him from infection. Nurses showed her how to read Sarid’s cues. Doctors explained what signs to watch once they returned home. She followed every instruction carefully and that made a big difference.

Sarid still needs regular follow-ups. His next screening will check for retinopathy – an eye condition that can affect premature babies, especially those on oxygen therapy. Misnahar knows that the road ahead will require patience. But her fear is slowly being overpowered by hope.

“When my son grows up, I want him to become a doctor or a nurse,” says Misnahar. “The people here saved my baby’s life. Maybe one day he can save others.”
 

Sarid’s survival was possible because Misnahar reached the hospital just in time and specialized newborn care was available when he needed it the most.

Bangladesh records 22 neonatal deaths for every 1,000 live births. This accounts for 67% of all under-five deaths, according to the recently released preliminary findings of MICS 2025. Newborn survival is therefore the top child health priority.

Across the country, UNICEF and partners have supported the Government to establish Special Care Newborn Units in 62 public hospitals. These units are designed to treat low-birthweight and critically ill newborns like Sarid with life-saving care. The units are equipped with reliable medical oxygen, radiant warmers, phototherapy, resuscitators, and continuous monitoring.

In Cox’s Bazar District Sadar hospital, a referral facility serving both host communities and over one million Rohingya refugees, the 65-bed SCANU is a lifeline.

“The unit has transformed healthcare for newborns,” says Dr. Imtiaz, one of the medical officers in charge of the ward. “We can monitor babies closely and respond quickly when something changes.”

The demand is high. Most days, all the beds are occupied by newborns. Doctors and nurses move steadily from one room to the next, checking vital signs, adjusting oxygen levels, and soothing restless babies.

Outside the glass walls, parents wait, some praying silently, some pressing their hands against the window, searching for a glimpse of their child. Inside, the sound of beeping monitors, soft cries, and calm footsteps of health workers fills the room.

Strengthening the system

Thanks to the support from the World Bank, UNICEF has been able to train health workers, provide their salaries, upgrade services and renovate infrastructure, improve data systems and essential supplies – from diagnostic machines to clean drinking water system that ensure good health and safety in Cox’s Bazar District Sadar Hospital.

These investments help hospitals remain ready around the clock to deliver maternal and newborn care, immunization, nutrition counseling, and emergency services for both host communities and refugee populations.

For families like Misnahar’s, these systems come together at the most critical moment – when a newborn needs immediate care for survival. For the doctors and nurses, each baby who leaves the hospital healthier and stronger is a reminder of why they do this work.

“When a baby recovers and goes home healthy, we celebrate together,” says Dr. Imtiaz. “Those moments give us strength to keep going.”

As for Misnahar, it means something simpler. A chance to watch her son grow and thrive.