Kangaroo Mother Care

Dear Mummies,
Thought this would be interesting :-)

I am truly in love with it and wished I tried it with my 2nd newborn since she was considered a mild premature born at 36 weeks POG & weight a mere 2.1kg! She was a hypothermic at birth & we were adviced by paediatrics to avoid any air-conditioners and keep her warm.

I did keep her warm with skin-to-skin contact though. And breastfed her..
But that wasn't what is considered as `Kangaroo Mother Care'.
Want to know the meaning of Kangaroo Mother Care@KMC & more? Read on.. :-)

How it started?
In 1979, Dr. Rey and Martinez started a programme in Bogota, Colombia, in response to shortage of incubators and severe hospital infections.

What is Kangaroo Mother Care?
It is a whole package consisting of:
1. Skin to skin contact
2. Breastfeeding
3. Support for Mother & Baby

(WHO includes `Early Discharge' as one of the criteria of KMC)

~Adapted from www.kangaroomothercare.com

How does Kangaroo Mother Care differ from Kangaroo Care or Skin to Skin Contact?
http://www.kangaroomothercare.com/what-kmc-is.aspx


How to do Kangaroo Mother Care?
http://www.kangaroomothercare.com/how-to-do-kmc.aspx

Benefits of Skin to Skin Contact are summarized as below:

• Better brain development
• Better emotional development
• Less stress
• Less crying
• Less brain bleeds
• More settled sleep
• Babies are more alert when they are awake
• Babies feel less pain from injections
• The heart rate stabilizes
• The oxygen saturation is more stable
• Fewer apnoea attacks
• Better breathing
• The temperature is most stable on the mother 
• Breastfeeding starts more easily
• More breast milk is produced
• Gestation-specific milk is produced.
• Faster weight gain
• Baby can usually go home earlier

I definitely see the differences and benefit in early skin to skin contact with my own child.

My 2nd daughter (the one I practiced skin to skin contact & more of breastfeeding with) did catch up on growth fast, achieved milestones on a faster pace, I breastfed her much longer and she is definitely much more settled when lying on my chest-until now). She's kind of clingy though (which I love!). Still babywearing her at 18 months old!

After all, babies have been in the womb for quite sometime, listening to Mummy's heartbeat and following her around everywhere..Would it be logical to seperate Mummy & Baby at birth?

You can see babies cry out of anxiety due to seperation at nurseries...while babies whom are held in warmth by their mummies are much more calm & settled..
Babies find their way towards breastfeeding naturally with KMC..

Mummies should definitely check out www.kangaroomothercare.com for more info, Lots of Love!!!