Kangaroo Care is skin-to-skin contact between a mother or father and their premature baby. The method originated in Bogota, Colombia during the late 1970’s when incubators, warm beds and respirators were in short supply.
Two pediatricians led the mothers to lay their babies on their breasts, cover them with towels and use the maternal body heat to warm and comfort their children.
This technique was strongly reminiscent of kangaroo pups growing in the mother’s pouch after birth. Kangaroo care has become increasingly popular in recent years as it provides a way to give stable preemies warmth and security through skin contact with the mother or father. Because kangaroo care allows for early physical contact, it promotes improved bonding between the parent and child.
The kangaroo care method
The children, usually premature babies, are placed on the unclothed upper body of the mother or father for one to several hours, wearing only a diaper. Their bodies are covered with blankets, a sling or towels, very small premature babies also receive a cap on the head. During the “kangaroo” the vital signs and behavior of the child are monitored.
It is important to know if the child is stable enough to survive the procedure (removing it from and then putting it back in the incubator) without any harm or stress. It is then decided at which interval – for example, every day or every two days – that kangaroo care occurs.
Depending on the individual case, kangaroo care can be started sooner or later. An important prerequisite for the application of the kangaroo method is the consent and education of the parents, the general condition of the baby (circulation and respiratory conditions must be stable) and the offer on the neonatal ward.
Advantages of the kangaroo method
Many scientific studies prove the positive effects of “kangaroo” on the psychological stability and the health of premature babies. The physical closeness helps the parents to get to know their baby and their reactions better, the method promotes milk production, and strengthens the parents’ trust in their own competences.
Women who have used the kangaroo method tend to breastfeed longer and more often. Premature babies who are provided with the kangaroo method immediately after birth, shout less and spend more time in the waking state and deep sleep. They go home earlier, shout less at the age of six months, and generally have fewer serious illnesses.
The self-confidence of the parents is also promoted – they are empowered to do something beneficial for their child at a time when they may feel limited to do so in other aspects. Kangaroo care improves the emotional mother-child relationship and addresses all the child’s senses: smell through the body scent of the parents; sense of balance, through the movements of the parents; and tactile and acoustic stimulation by the parents’ voices. As a result, mother / father and baby get to know each other and the parents are strengthened by the positive effects.
Additionally, kangaroo care also provides the opportunity for early breastfeeding, promotes the milk donor reflex and leads to longer and more frequent breastfeeding.
Kangarooing has several positive effects according to researchers. The body releases the hormone oxytocin, considered to be an important component in the development of mother-child bonding. At the same time, the baby is acoustically stimulated and calmed by the voice of the mother or the father, hears her heartbeat and perceives the body scents of the parents. Also, the breast-feeding relationship between mother and child is to be improved by the close contact, often extending the duration of breastfeeding.
Long-term benefits
The benefits of kangaroo care appear to be long-term. A study of premature children and parents over 20 years showed that “kangaroo care” babies were on average less aggressive, impulsive and hyperactive than those who spent most of their first weeks of life in incubators. A total of 264 premature babies born between 1993 and 1996 with a birth weight of less than 1800 grams were considered. The study compared two groups of babies.
The control group consisted of babies who, in their first months of life, were cared for in the conventional way, typically in an incubator. The other group consisted of underweight premature babies who were often carried by their mothers on bare skin, warmed and breastfed. The entire family was also involved and trained in how to care for the tiny babies. Eighteen to 20 years after birth, the adolescents were intensively examined and interviewed for three days.
Among the results published in the journal Pediatrics is the fact that the mortality rate of kangaroo care babies is significantly lower than that of the control group in the incubator. Their brain grew stronger, especially in the areas important for learning, and the intelligence quotient 20 years later was also somewhat higher. The children from the kangaroo program had a better school career and were less absent from school.
On average, they also earned more as young workers. Researchers also attributed the positive consequences to the fact that the parents of the kangaroo group were better informed about the needs of babies thanks to the accompanying training and were able to implement this knowledge continuously.
This had an effect especially on poorer families with lower levels of education. Researchers noted that the daily activities at home have the greatest direct influence on a child in the long run.
The program, supported by Canadian researchers, also had a positive impact on families as a whole: Their cohesion was better and the basic mood more loving. In addition, it turned out that couples were more likely to stay together even when the father carried his premature offspring around in the sling.
The future of kangaroo care
According to data from the World Health Organization (WHO), every year a total of 15 million children worldwide are born too early – before the 38th week of pregnancy. The organization notes that the kangaroo method is efficient, science-based and can be used in all environments – from those with very limited to those with unrestricted access to health facilities.
It goes on to say that small effects such as minor cognitive deficits, poorer fine motor skills, reduced hearing or vision and concentration disorders can go undetected but have profound effects on the lives of families.
Kangaroo care can be beneficial in preventing these challenges from occurring. Essentially, through kangaroo care parents can learn to deal with their fragile little ones, overcome fears of contact and build a close bond with their baby.
