Kangaroo Mother Care: 25 years after

Abstract

The components of the Kangaroo Mother Care (KMC) intervention, their rational bases, and their current uses in low‐, middle‐, and high‐income countries are described. KMC was started in 1978 in Bogotá (Colombia) in response to overcrowding and insufficient resources in neonatal intensive care units associated with high morbidity and mortality among low‐birthweight infants. The intervention consists of continuous skin‐to‐skin contact between the mother and the infant, exclusive breastfeeding, and early home discharge in the kangaroo position. In studies of the physiological effects of KMC, the results for most variables were within clinically acceptable ranges or the same as those for premature infants under other forms of care. Body temperature and weight gain are significantly increased, and a meta‐analysis showed that the kangaroo position increases the uptake and duration of breastfeeding. Investigations of the behavioral effects of KMC show rapid quiescence. The psychosocial effects of KMC include reduced stress, enhancement of mother–infant bonding, and positive effects on the family environment and the infant's cognitive development. Conclusion: Past and current research has clarified some of the rational bases of KMC and has provided evidence for its effectiveness and safety, although more research is needed to clearly define the effectiveness of the various components of the intervention in different settings and for different therapeutic goals.

Barriers and enablers for practicing kangaroo mother care (KMC) in rural Sindh, Pakistan

“…The WHO has defined KMC as early, continuous, and prolonged skin–to–skin contact between the mother and babies; exclusive breastfeeding or breast milk feeding; early discharge after hospital–initiated KMC with continuation at home; and adequate support and follow–up for mothers at home[5]. KMC has three main components, including: thermal care through continuous skin-to-skin contact by being wrapped with a cloth to the bare chest of the care giver; support for exclusive breastfeeding or other appropriate feeding; and early recognition and response to complications [6]. Neonatal mortality analyses from a 2014 Cochrane review [7] (11 randomized controlled trials) and a 2016 meta-analysis by Boundy [8] (16 studies) found a 33 percent and 23 percent reduction in neonatal mortality, respectively, at the last follow-up when comparing KMC to conventional neonatal care.…”

Knowledge, Attitude and Practice of Kangaroo Mother Care among Neonatal Nurses

“…Low birth weight infants can't maintain their body thermo-regulation and remain in hypothermia. According to research, during skin to skin contact LBW infants maintained their body temperature (Charpak et al, 2005). In the present research study, nurses mostly had no formal training; but 82% agreed that KMC beneficial for the LBW infants; many agreed that skin to skin contact increases the breastfeeding rate, and help mother to bonding with their newly born infants.…”

“…KMC is a low cost, safe and effective method for the care of LBW infants (Charpak et al, 2005). For the thriving implementation KMC needs supervision, motivation, and care from the healthcare team.…”

Linking prenatal experience to the emerging musical mind

“…For example, Doheny et al (2012a,b) reported improved cardiorespiratory stability and reduced episodes of breathing cessation in preterm infants exposed to audio recordings of their mother’s voice and heartbeat, compared to the presentation of regular hospital noise. The combined effects of the mother’s voice and heartbeat are also observed during Kangaroo Care, which encourages parents to hold the newborn close to the chest and maximize skin-to-skin contact, and has been associated with normalizing their body temperature, breathing, heart rate (Ludington-Hoe et al, 2006) and body weight (Charpak et al, 2005). Despite relatively short-term intervention durations, exposure to recordings of the mother’s voice has been associated with increased oxygen saturation levels (Standley and Moore, 1995), improved growth velocity (Zimmerman et al, 2013), fewer episodes of feeding intolerance (Krueger et al, 2010), and reduced hospital stay (Cevasco, 2008).…”