(UFMG 2002)AWARD-WINNING KANGAROO CARESkin-to-skin

(UFMG 2002) 

AWARD-WINNING KANGAROO CARE
Skin-to-skin contact creates gentle communication

A touch. A feel. A heartbeat. A warm hug. (1)Whether a newborn is two pounds or eight pounds, skin-to-skin contact proves to be a nurturing strength between parent and baby in the first days of life. Similar to the way a kangaroo keeps its young close to its body, Kangaroo Care or K Care is the practice of (2)"pouching" an infant, diaper-clad and blanketed, against a parent's bare chest. This special bonding between parent and newborn has been found to reduce parental stress, promotes confidence in the ability to care for the infant and improves infant health, especially in pre-term babies. In Mount Sinai Medical Center's Schwartz Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, 15 neonates and their families have benefited from K Care.
Patricia Messmer, director of nursing research at Mount Sinai, Joyce Wells-Gentry, nursing administrative supervisor, and Suzanne Rodriguez, along with a team of nurses and doctors, are studying the effects of K Care on preterm infants as well as parents' attitudes toward their infants. Earlier studies have credited K Care with shorter hospital stays, greater confidence on the part of the mothers in their abilities to monitor their babies, less crying, longer sleep periods, greater weight gain, improved lactation and decreased oxygen requirements.
"Preliminary data analysis indicates a significant increase in sleep time during K Care for these infants as compared to the infants not receiving K Care," Rodriguez confirms. Results also indicate that during K Care, the infants experience fewer oxygen requirements and have fewer breathing difficulties.
"Many parents have commented that their infants are more relaxed during K Care," Messmer adds. "Mothers and fathers are very positive about the experience."

Adapted from Award-winning kangaroo care. Miami Herald Medical Reports, Jan. 1995.

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