Health Department welcomes 2024 Christmas bundles of joy
Pretoria: The Department of Health congratulates all parents who welcomed their bundles of joy on Christmas Day, and urges mothers to immediately commence the developmental journey of their newborns which entails immunisation to achieve a long and healthy life for their babies.
This safe arrival of these babies would not have been possible without hard work and dedication by healthcare workers (especially the midwives) who are the backbone of the health system.
For every child to achieve their full potential in terms of healthy growth and development, they need amongst others; the health care, right nutrition, initiation of exclusive breastfeeding, immunisation and timely care during illness. The first 1000 days of a child's life are important because they lay the foundation for their physical, emotional, and academic development.
More than 570 babies including 6 set of twins were safely delivered in public health facilities across the country between midnight and midday on Wednesday, 25 December 2024.
Amongst the new mothers include a 13 year-old who gave birth to a healthy baby at Seshego Hospital outside Polokwane in Limpopo, three 15 year-olds who gave birth at Emmaus, Hlabisa, and St Andrews Hospitals in KwaZulu-Natal, and a 16 year-old young woman who gave birth to a babe boy at Klerksdorp/Tshepong Tertiary Hospital in the North West province.
The first Christmas baby was delivered exactly at midnight (00h00) at Osindisweni Hospital in KwaZulu-Natal, followed by another delivery at 00h01 at Nkhensani Hospital in Limpopo, two deliveries at 00h02 recorded at Standerton Hospital in Mpumalanga and Madwaleni Hospital in the Eastern Cape.
The Department will walk side by side with the new mothers as they embark on this incredible journey of motherhood. This includes ensuring their babies are up to date with immunisation to protect them against vaccine-preventable childhood diseases such as measles and polio.
Mothers who subscribed to MomConnect (a free, text-based program (a free text-based programme) are urged to remain active to benefit from crucial health information and support meant for pregnant women and new mothers, including information about caring for newborns.
Some of the Messages cover topics such as newborn care, breastfeeding, immunization, and appointment reminders.
To join MomConnect, you simply dial 134550*2# on your phone or send "join" on WhatsApp to 079 631 2456.
Breakdown of Christmas babies per province:
- Eastern Cape: 104 (57 boys and 47 girls)
- Gauteng: 184 (105 boys and 79 girls)
- Free State: 24 (15 boys and 9 girls)
- Limpopo: 84 (44 boys and 40 girls)
- KwaZulu-Natal: 47 (21 boys and 26 girls)
- Mpumalanga: 34 (20 boys and 14 girls)
- North West: 50
- Northern Cape: 30 (14 boys and 16 girls)
- Western Cape: 18 (8 boys and 10 girls)
• NB: This is the total babies born between midnight and midday on Christmas Day in public health facilities in all nine provinces. This is subject to change as more births are being recorded throughout the day.
For more information and media enquiries, please contact:
Mr Foster Mohale
Health Departmental Spokesperson
Mobile: 0724323792
Email: Foster.mohale@health.gov.za
Mr Sello Lediga
Media Liaison Officer for the Minister of Health
Cell: 0823539859
Mobile: Sello.Lediga@health.gov.za
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