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Kangaroo care
Kangaroo mother care (KMC), which involves skin-to-skin contact (SSC), is an intervention to care for premature or low birth weight (LBW) infants. The technique and intervention is the recommended evidence-based care for LBW infants by the World Health Organization (WHO) since 2003.
In the 2003 WHO Kangaroo Mother Care practical guide, KMC is defined as a "powerful, easy-to-use method to promote the health and well-being of infants born preterm as well as full-term", with its key components being:
The early KMC technique was first presented by Rey and Martinez in 1983, in Bogotá, Colombia, where it was developed as an alternative to inadequate and insufficient incubator care for those preterm newborn infants who had overcome initial problems and required only to feed and grow. Decades of research and development, much from researchers from emerging economies, has improved upon the initial work and has documented that modern evidence-based KMC lowers infant mortality and the risk of hospital-acquired infection, increases weight gain of infants, increases rates of breastfeeding, protects neuromotor and brain development of infants, and improves mother-infants bonding, among other benefits. Today, the WHO recommends "Kangaroo mother care (KMC) for preterm or low-birth-weight infants should be started as soon as possible after birth" based on "high-certainty evidence".
Originally babies who were eligible for KMC included LBW infants weighing less than 2,000 grams (4 lb 7 oz) and breathing and eating independently. Cardiopulmonary monitoring, oximetry, supplemental oxygen or nasal ventilation (continuous positive airway pressure), intravenous infusions, and monitor leads do not prevent KMC. In fact, babies who are in KMC tend to be less prone to apnea and bradycardia and have stabilization of oxygen needs.
KMC has been shown to provide many benefits to the infant, as well as to the family directly involved in the infant's care. Large reviews of the thousands of scientific articles that present the body of evidence have been published, that serve as the bases for practical guides for practitioners.
After initial reviews of scientific evidence in the mid-1990s highlighted research ongoing in both developed and developing countries, research into KMC grew exponentially. Systematic reviews of hundreds of scientific articles have documented the impact of KMC on mortality, morbidity, and quality of survival LBW infants.
A randomized controlled trial published in 2016 reported that babies born between 1,500 and 2,200 grams (3 lb 5 oz and 4 lb 14 oz) became physiologically stable in SSC starting from birth, compared to similar babies in incubators. A descriptive study of case series in a hospital without any technical resources evaluated two of the components of the KMC: the inpatient kangaroo position and kangaroo feeding and was published in 1994. This paper supports the hypothesis that, in cases of absence of technical resources, inpatient kangaroo position and nutrition is an acceptable alternative.
In 2016, a Cochrane review, "Kangaroo mother care to reduce morbidity and mortality in low birthweight infants", was published bringing together data from 21 studies including 3,042 LBW babies (less than 1,500 grams (3 lb 5 oz) at birth). This review showed that babies receiving kangaroo care had a reduced risk of death, hospital-acquired infection, and low body temperature (hypothermia); was also associated with increased weight gain, growth in length, and rates of breastfeeding.
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Kangaroo care
Kangaroo mother care (KMC), which involves skin-to-skin contact (SSC), is an intervention to care for premature or low birth weight (LBW) infants. The technique and intervention is the recommended evidence-based care for LBW infants by the World Health Organization (WHO) since 2003.
In the 2003 WHO Kangaroo Mother Care practical guide, KMC is defined as a "powerful, easy-to-use method to promote the health and well-being of infants born preterm as well as full-term", with its key components being:
The early KMC technique was first presented by Rey and Martinez in 1983, in Bogotá, Colombia, where it was developed as an alternative to inadequate and insufficient incubator care for those preterm newborn infants who had overcome initial problems and required only to feed and grow. Decades of research and development, much from researchers from emerging economies, has improved upon the initial work and has documented that modern evidence-based KMC lowers infant mortality and the risk of hospital-acquired infection, increases weight gain of infants, increases rates of breastfeeding, protects neuromotor and brain development of infants, and improves mother-infants bonding, among other benefits. Today, the WHO recommends "Kangaroo mother care (KMC) for preterm or low-birth-weight infants should be started as soon as possible after birth" based on "high-certainty evidence".
Originally babies who were eligible for KMC included LBW infants weighing less than 2,000 grams (4 lb 7 oz) and breathing and eating independently. Cardiopulmonary monitoring, oximetry, supplemental oxygen or nasal ventilation (continuous positive airway pressure), intravenous infusions, and monitor leads do not prevent KMC. In fact, babies who are in KMC tend to be less prone to apnea and bradycardia and have stabilization of oxygen needs.
KMC has been shown to provide many benefits to the infant, as well as to the family directly involved in the infant's care. Large reviews of the thousands of scientific articles that present the body of evidence have been published, that serve as the bases for practical guides for practitioners.
After initial reviews of scientific evidence in the mid-1990s highlighted research ongoing in both developed and developing countries, research into KMC grew exponentially. Systematic reviews of hundreds of scientific articles have documented the impact of KMC on mortality, morbidity, and quality of survival LBW infants.
A randomized controlled trial published in 2016 reported that babies born between 1,500 and 2,200 grams (3 lb 5 oz and 4 lb 14 oz) became physiologically stable in SSC starting from birth, compared to similar babies in incubators. A descriptive study of case series in a hospital without any technical resources evaluated two of the components of the KMC: the inpatient kangaroo position and kangaroo feeding and was published in 1994. This paper supports the hypothesis that, in cases of absence of technical resources, inpatient kangaroo position and nutrition is an acceptable alternative.
In 2016, a Cochrane review, "Kangaroo mother care to reduce morbidity and mortality in low birthweight infants", was published bringing together data from 21 studies including 3,042 LBW babies (less than 1,500 grams (3 lb 5 oz) at birth). This review showed that babies receiving kangaroo care had a reduced risk of death, hospital-acquired infection, and low body temperature (hypothermia); was also associated with increased weight gain, growth in length, and rates of breastfeeding.