On the World Premature Day, November 17th this year, several “abuelas de Los Nórdicos” from Almuñecar learn about the incredible work of the Neonatal Unit of the University Hospital San Cecilio of Granada.
Since 2016 ten to twenty women of Los Nórdicos have been knitting and crocheting blankets, socks and squids for premature babies with a special yarn financed by the Asociación Los Nórdicos (AHN-CN). Once a year we deliver the results to Hospital Santa Ana in Motril. They have passed on the surplus to the much bigger unit of the Hospital in Granada.
The Hospital of Granada invited us to celebrate World Premature Day with them. Representatives from the ‘Stickeklubben Tina’ and myself were greeted by a communication team and the responsible staff of the Neonatal Unit of the Granada Hospital. We got the run-through of the work and learned that the ‘kangaroo’ methodology (parents or other family members hugging the premature babies for many hours a day, skin-to-skin) is recently introduced. This has been used a long time in countries like Norway or Sweden.
We received a lot of appreciation for the decade-long support they have received to their ropero solidario (solidarity wardrobe) of high-quality blankets and other knitted beauties for parents to use for their babies, especially targeting those most vulnerable and lacking resources.
That day the Unit had 12 premature babies, several in intensive care. The tiniest twins were born a few weeks previously and then weighed only 440 and 480 grams each! We had the opportunity to deliver blankets and pulpos directly to some of the parents, and to talk to both parents and staff. We even discussed a possible exchange between a neonatal unit in Norway and those in Granada and Motril.
The lead person in the knitting club of Los Nórdicos, Kirsti Arnöy Hakansson, has personal experience of being a kangaroo grandmother to twins, born as early as in week 23 more than 10 years ago. This was her trigger to start the support to the hospitals here with the same kind of knitwork as used for premature babies in Norway. “I believe this is a minimum gesture from us to give back to people in need and the Spanish society, which is giving us so much by letting us live here on the beautiful Costa Tropical”, she told staff at the Hospital, heartfelt.
The Granada Hospital alone attended to 353 premature babies in 2024, of whom 15 weighed less than a kilo and 47 less than 1.5 kilos. During the first ten months of 2025 they had 251 babies in their care. “These are pretty stable numbers, even though natality rates in general are declining in Andalucia and Spain”, said Sonia Velasco, the Head Nurse of the unit. “238 of the babies we attended since last year have been in UCI – intensive care”.
One out of ten babies globally are considered premature. In Spain it is 6% annually. This number has more than doubled over the last 20 years. Most premature babies will live normal lives. Without effective care, though, they are at high risk of life-threatening health conditions like respiratory distress, infections, and hypothermia.
In areas of war, occupation or famine the situation is critical. In Gaza, for example, the medical staff of the main hospital in Khan Younis witnessed an increase from 20% of premature births (already a big number) to almost 60% those two last year. This is because of multifactorial reasons – malnutrition in mothers, extreme stress due to constant bombings and insecurities, lack of access to adequate prenatal care and hospitals, increase rate of infections, lack of clean water and energy.
“A strong start isn’t just about survival – it’s about honouring the promise of every tiny life. It’s about giving these babies the chance not only to survive but to thrive and one day, transform the world”, according to the World Health Organisation
This year’s theme for the World Premature Day echoes WHO’s Healthy beginnings, hopeful futures campaign. It reminds us that every child deserves a fair chance at life, starting from their very first moments. (See more about the campaign: https://www.who.int/campaigns/world-prematurity-day/2025).
Governments, health systems, communities, and individuals have a shared responsibility to protect these tiny babies and ensure their families get the support they need. It feels good to contribute at least a little bit to this challenge where we live!
For more information about the activities of Los Nórdicos AHN-CN, Almuñecar-Costa Tropical, visit: www.losnordicos.com
(News/Feature: Nordic Column)
Keywords: Los Nordicos, World Premature Day, Hospital Santa Ana, Motril, Neonatal Unit, University Hospital San Cecilio
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