Kangaroo Care Of Premature Babies

A new born baby is completely helpless in the world. The baby has to learn and develop the skill to live outside the womb, in an unsafe world. They have to learn even how to breathe. If the baby is premature it’s a bigger challenge, because their systems are not fully developed. For such babies the kangaroo care method is developed. It’s very useful for weak and premature babies. There are numerous benefits of kangaroo care method.

Kangaroo care is a form of skin to skin contact between newborn and their parents. The care could be provided either by mother or father.

As it is evident from its name, the method is adopted from a kangaroo, the style a kangaroo uses to care it’s kids. The baby wearing only a nappy, held against the bare chest of his/her parent. Now the baby is tied with his/her parent with the help of a soft cloth, so that to cover the baby’s back but not head and neck. Now it’s similar to kangaroo’s pouch. Cover the head of the baby with another cloth or a cap. Keep the baby in this position for about one hour or until the baby is comfortable in this position. Be careful that the temperature of the room should be normal when this method of care is being given to a baby.

The method was first time developed in Colombia in 1978. This method was developed to lessen the mortality rate of premature babies due to lack of proper technical facilities, incubator and even lack of caretakers. Here kangaroo care method was suggested, where a baby gets support from his/her parents by skin to skin contact.

Due to skin to skin kangaroo care, body temperature of the baby is regulated. A new born baby can’t adjust his/her body temperature with the changing atmospheric temperature.

Being very close the baby can hear heart beat of his mother, which gives him a familiar feeling to that of in womb. So the baby feels soothing and secured. It also helps in regulating breathing of the baby.

It helps in regulating body weight of an underweight baby. Decreases the baby’s cry, so the baby sleeps undisturbed for long time. Immune system of the baby gets strong and prevents from infection and diseases.

Due to close contact, motherly feeling becomes stronger, which causes to secrete a hormone which leads to more lactation. It also affect the premature newborn psychologically. Parents feel a bonding and closeness with the baby. The parents feel a confidence in their ability to care their baby, and also a confidence that their baby is being well cared.

Since the kangaroo care method is adopted generally for premature babies, who are required to keep either on ventilator support or in incubator, so the doctor should check that the baby is strong enough to breath himself, before allowing the mother to undergo kangarooing. Though this method is specially beneficial for premature and weak babies, yet beneficial for every newborn.