The Mood Variation in Mothers of Preterm Infants in Kangaroo Mother Care and Conventional Incubator Care

Abstract

Preterm babies are more prone to develop disorders and so require immediate intensive care. In the conventional neonatal intensive care, the baby is kept in the incubator, separated from the mother. Some actions have been taken in order to make this mother-child separation less traumatic. One of these actions is the Kangaroo mother care (KMC) characterized by skin-to-skin contact between a mother and her newborn. The objective of this study was to compare the mood variation of mothers enrolled in the KMC program to those in the conventional incubator care. In one general hospital in Sao Paulo, Brazil, 90 mothers were evaluated before and after contact with the baby in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. The participants were divided into three groups: 30 mothers of term newborns (TG), 30 mothers of preterm infants included in KMC program (PGK) and 30 preterms with incubator placement (PGI). The Brazilian version of the Visual Analogue Mood Scale (VAMS) was used for the assessment before and after the infant's visit. Results showed that TG mothers reported fewer occurrences of depressive states than PGK and PGI mothers. A significant mood variation was observed for PGK and PGI after the infant's visit. PGK mothers reported feeling calmer, stronger, well-coordinated, energetic, contented, tranquil, quick-witted, relaxed, proficient, happy, friendly and clear-headed. The only variation showed by PGI mothers was an increase in feeling clumsy. This study shows a positive effect of the KMC on the mood variation of preterm mothers and points to the need of a more humane experience during the incubator care.

The Impact of Kangaroo-Mother Care on Postpartum Depression in Mothers of Premature Infants

“…The mothers feel improvement in sense of peace, being stronger, better compliance, energy increase, satisfaction, being relieved, relaxed, happy and having more relaxed mind (32). These effects can minimize the risk of postpartum depression.…”

Enhanced kangaroo mother care for heel lance in preterm neonates: a crossover trial

“…A recent review of KMC 30 summarizes the benefits of KMC for growth, 31 success of breastfeeding, 32 physiological stability 33 as well as family development 34 and maternal mood. 35 Given the above numerous advantages of KMC, it can perhaps be thought of as an extension of the predelivery relationship between the infant and mother. The close physical contact without interference of clothing is likely releasing endogenous hormones such as endorphins and oxytocin 36 that promote physiological stability even in the face of the stress of acute pain.…”

Coregulation in Salivary Cortisol During Maternal Holding of Premature Infants

“…The caregiver wraps her clothing around the infant, simulating a kangaroo pouch, to maintain the infant's temperature. Benefits of kangaroo holding for mothers are feelings of well-being, intense connectedness with the infant, and increased self-confidence in their ability to care for the infant (Affonso, Bosque, Wahlberg, & Brady, 1993;de Macedo, Cruvinel, Lukasova, & D'Antino, 2007;Neu, 1999). Researchers have reported improved mother-infant interaction, including positive affect, sensitive and nonintrusive maternal touch, adaptation to infants cues, mother-infant mutual gaze, and successful breastfeeding, when dyads practiced kangaroo holding at least 1 hr a day during hospitalization of the preterm infant (Feldman & Eidelman, 2003;Rojas et al, 2003).…”

“…Mothers who become anxious in response to elevated sound levels during holding (Neu, 2004;Nivison & Endresen, 1993) may become less attentive toward their infants and touch them less contingently than mothers who are less disturbed by sound. The benefits of kangaroo holding, such as intense connectedness with the infant, positive well-being, selfconfidence in caring for the infant, and ability to adapt to infant cues (de Macedo et al, 2007;Feldman & Eidelman, 2003), suggest that mothers who hold kangaroo style may use more contingent touch than mothers who use traditional blanket holding. Type of holding also has potential relationships with antenatal steroids and sound levels.…”