Kangaroo care for your baby

Kangaroo care can be described by the manner in which a baby is held and involves skin-to-skin contact. The baby is placed in an upright position against the parent’s bare chest wearing only a diaper with a blanket covering the baby’s back (either a blanket or the parent’s clothing). The snuggling of the infant inside the pouch of the parent’s shirt resembles a kangaroo’s pouch which led to the creation of the term ‘kangaroo care’. This manner of care is not only for mothers – fathers can do that as well.

Kangaroo care may lower premature death among newborns with a weight of less than 2 kilograms. Research indicates that a newborn baby receiving kangaroo care had a 36% lower chance of passing prematurely compared to a newborn that did not receive such care. Research also found that kangaroo care for low-weight babies can reduce the risk of sepsis by 47%— a life-threatening illness caused by your body’s response to an infection, compared to those who did not.

Kangaroo care can help your baby:

• Maintain his body warmth
• Regulate his heart and breathing rates
• Gain weight
• Spend more time in deep sleep
• Spend more time being quiet and alert and less time crying
• Have a better chance of successful breastfeeding (kangaroo care can improve a mother's breast milk production)

Kangaroo care can have emotional benefits for moms too. It builds confidence when you spent intimate time with your baby, improving their health and well-being. You give something special to your baby that only you can provide.

Skin-to-skin contact with your baby is the experience of a new parenthood and closeness like never before. Kangaroo care is precious and beneficial to every baby and parent whatever the situation may be.

Sources

IntercareBabycenter.comLivescience.com