Benefits of kangaroo care in the NICU

Kangaroo care varies by name depending on where you live - kangaroo mother care, kangaroo baby care, or skin-to-skin care - but the concept remains the same: A newborn is carried on a mother’s bare chest or between her breasts with a blanket draped over the baby’s back for added warmth. Today, doctors across the world recommend kangaroo care to moms with both preemies and full-term babies. "The more skin-to-skin [contact] the better. It should ideally start at birth, but is helpful any time," said Dr. Nils Bergman, senior medical superintendent of Mowbray Maternity Hospital in Cape Town, Africa, in a recent Parents article. "Physiology and research provide overwhelming evidence that Kangaroo Mother Care is not only safe but superior to the use of technology such as incubators," Bergman added. "Depriving babies of skin-to-skin makes alternative stress pathways in the brain, which can lead to ADD, colic, sleep disorders, among other things."

Benefits of Kangaroo Care

“Skin to skin care is a low tech intervention that results in significant improvements for the baby,” says Diane L. Spatz, PhD, RN-BC, FAAN, in an article on philly.com. Save the Children released its annual State of the World’s Mothers report, which highlighted how kangaroo care is being used to improve survival outcomes of newborns and support bonding between parents and their child. According to the report, benefits for baby include: Not only does skin-to-skin contact benefit baby, but it also benefits mom by:

• Body warmth
• Promotes breastfeeding and enables baby to nurse at will
• Gives the baby energy to produce his or her own body heat
• Reduces the need for incubators in many cases
• Less crying, more sleeping
• Stabilizes heart rate, breathing, and temperature
• Increased weight gain
• Improved immunity
• Increasing milk production
• Building her confidence in handling her baby
• Increasing her sense of control
• Strengthening the mother/child bond
• Reducing stress levels

Dads Have a Role Too

While moms are busily providing breastmilk for their preemies, whether nursing or pumping, dads can begin to feel a bit left out. Kangaroo care provides dads with a significant role to play in caring for baby. Dads become part of the schedule, learn about caring for their baby, and build a lasting bond. Kangaroo care provides special moments that belong to only baby and dad, and it’s a nice way to get acquainted with your preemie while he or she is in the NICU. While you may be nervous about trying kangaroo care, know that it’s safe, beneficial, and a nice way to be close to your baby. Talk with your NICU staff about questions and concerns you have with kangaroo care.