Experts warn parents against exposing newborns to cold.

LAHORE -- Medical experts have suggested preventive measures to ensure proper care of newborns in the winter season, warning the parents that any carelessness in this regard can lead to serious health risks for the babies.

Addressing a workshop entitled 'Care of Newborn in Winter Season' at a local hospital here on Sunday, General Cadre Doctors Association president and public health consultant Dr Masood Akhtar Sheikh says that in the developing countries like Pakistan, most births are still assisted at home or at small clinics, usually without obstetricians or gynecologists, by midwives or lady health visitors (LHVs).

'There are a few small ways to maintain the health of the newborn and the mother', he says, adding that it is important that the room where the baby is delivered should be clean and its floors and walls should thoroughly be mopped with an antiseptic.

He added that there should be proper arrangements for heating the room in winter, preferably a few hours before the delivery.

He said if an electric heater is used to warm the room, the doors could be kept closed, but in case of a gas heater or burning coal, it is necessary to have some arrangement for air circulation to prevent accumulation of toxic gases in the room. He mentions that...