(http://msnbcmedia1.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/Photos/070514/070514_austral_kangaroo_vlrg_8a.widec.jpg) | Kangaroo mother care is care of preterm infants carried skin-to-skin with the mother. It is a powerful, easy-to-use method to promote the health and well-being of infants born preterm as well as full-term. Its key features are:
It was first presented by Rey and Martinez, 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. Almost two decades of implementation and research have made it clear that KMC is more than an alternative to incubator care. It has been shown to be effective for thermal control, breastfeeding and bonding in all newborn infants, irrespective of setting, weight, gestational age, and clinical conditions. Download this book for more information (http://www.who.int/reproductive-health/publications/kmc/text.pdf) |