Kangaroo Care, or continuous skin-to-skin contact between a mother and her premature infant, helps tiny babies thrive, according to a new report in the British Medical Journal (November 13, 2004).
Kangaroo care "is safe, and it enhances a lot of the qualities of bonding between the mother and infant," said Ruiz-Pelaez in an interview.
In Kangaroo Care, mothers lay babies against their chests for hours each day, keeping babies upright and switching off with fathers or other caretakers when they need a break. The technique is used for premature babies who are medically stable, but cannot yet regulate their body temperatures, Ruiz-Pelaez said.
The research suggests that kangaroo care is not only safe for these tiny babies, but may also lead to less severe infections, encourage breast-feeding and aid in infant development. The technique has also been shown to help mothers with their "emotional healing," after giving birth to a tiny, sick infant that is extremely fragile, Ruiz-Pelaez said.
Moreover, a recent study suggested that infants who received kangaroo care showed better neurological development at one year of age than infants treated by incubator, suggesting that kangaroo care may, in some instances, surpass traditional care, he said.
In an accompanying editorial, Dr. Neil Marlow of the University of Nottingham, Queen's Medical Centre in the UK, writes that "There is little doubt that (kangaroo care) appears a safe and effective approach to caring for premature infants." ~Tracy Dower
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