When it comes to newborn care, we at RUCOMEF are committed to enlightening parents especially mothers on cheap and easy ways to care for their newborn.
One of the beneficial ways mothers can care for their newborn is being referred to as Kangaroo Mother Care and Dr.Abiodun Olukotun shared some health tips on the benefits of Kangaroo Mothercare
“Kangaroo Mother care; this is sometimes or commonly referred to as “skin to skin contact”.
It is a technique by which newborn care is named after Kangaroo mammal. The newborns are kept chest to chest and skin to skin with a parent, especially their mother.
The need for warmth is one of the essential needs of newborn babies. KMC is a powerful, easy-to-use method to promote the health of newborn babies.
KMC also serves as a cheap and readily available alternative care for relatively low-weight babies in rural communities where nursing with incubator are not available.
All babies less than 2.0kg weight are candidates for KMC.
Its key features are:
- Early, continuous and sustained skin to skin contact between the mother and the baby
- The care process begins at the hospital and continues at home.
- It improves exclusive breastfeeding.
Place the baby with or without clothes in an upright position inside the mother’s clothing against clean skin. A loose sweater or wrapper or shawl is tied as below.
Let baby suckle at the breast as often as he/she wants.
Sleep propped up so that the baby stays upright.
Make sure the baby stays warm at all times. In a cool environment, a cap and extra dress for baby are advisable.
When the mother needs to bathe or rest, another family member can take over the Kangaroo care.
In a case where no other family member is available to Kangaroo the baby, the baby would be wrapped in several layers of warm clothing and then cover with the blankets.
Take the baby for regular check-ups, vaccination, and weight record.
Benefits of KMC
- It helps to maintain the temperature of the infant.
- It facilitates breastfeeding.
- It improves growth
- It reduces infections if done properly
- It improves mother-baby bonding.
- It comes at no cost, as against paying for radiant warmer or incubator service which is not even available in the rural setting.
- Also a good medium of temperature control in preterm babies.”
-Dr. Abiodun Olukotun
RUCOMEF…Wholistic Healthcare for the neglected