 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
How It Works and the Benefits of doing KMC
Kangaroo Mother Care means skin to skin contact between mother and her newborn baby, this contact has remarkable effects. Breastfeeding is essential for the baby, from the first hour of life and onwards. The key message is : NEVER SEPARATE MOTHER AND HER NEWBORN. The benefits are even more crucial for a premature baby.
Dr Nils Bergman was the Doctor who introduced Kangaroo Mother Care (KMC) to South Africa. He has recently published the results of a strict scientific trial (in Acta Paediatrica) comparing skin to skin immediately after birth to incubator care . What he found was that skin to skin care was much better for the newborn than the incubator. Babies were warmer and calmer, breathed better and had a more stable heart rate with skin to skin care.
Surprisingly, the smaller the baby was-down to 1200grams- the more stable they were, and the more unstable in the incubator! This is opposite to what people think!
In fact there is other research suggesting that the incubator is harmful! Babies’ brain development requires skin to skin contact and being held and carried, and eye to eye contact to form the right brain pathways. Depriving babies of this skin to skin care makes alternative stress pathways which can lead to ADD, colic, sleep disorders etc.
Surprisingly incubators are still used for the very reason of stabilizing the baby when they in fact do the opposite!
So what are the benefits of Kangaroo Mother Care?
The benefits for all babies on KMC are that they stabilize faster on skin to skin care than in the incubator (they do not stabilize in the incubator in the first six hours of life)Then KMC babies have stable oxygen rates and breathing. The heart rate is stable. The temperature is most stable on the mother ( in skin to skin care the mothers chest automatically warms to warm a cold baby, and the mothers core temperature can drop if her baby has a temperature.) Another of the essential factors of KMC is breastfeeding: breastmilk production is stimulated by skin to skin care so baby gets all the benefits of breastmilk including the correct milk for humans. (Formula is made with cows milk which is designed for baby calves. The main protein in cows milk, casein, is actually toxic for the human baby’s gut so they get milk allergies on formula.)
The babies can breastfeed more often in KMC. This is necessary for growth as the baby’s stomach capacity at birth is only 5ml. After one week it is 30ml which only lasts for 90 minutes. Babies need to be feeding every one and a half to two hours.
The baby smells the breastmilk directly so the rooting instinct clicks in quickly and there are less subsequent problems with breastfeeding.
On the mothers chest the baby also gets gestation- specific breastmilk, if the baby is a premature, the milk content is different. Breasts can even produce different milk specific to the needs of each twin. The breastmilk contains all of the nucleotides necessary for brain growth. The mother’s colostrum carries the antibodies needed to protect the newborn with immunity.
In terms of protection, the baby will get antibodies and about a thousand other protective factors from the mother’s milk. There are less long term health problems for babies that have breastfed and had skin to skin contact. In skin to skin care the baby is in a relaxed mode so all of the hormones prepare the gut to absorb food maximally. The babies on KMC can grow at 30g per day which is three times that of an incubator baby. This will mean less time in hospital.
A major difference in skin to skin care is that babies cry less so they have less stress hormones like somatostatin circulating, so there are less brain bleeds which are very common in premature infants.
In Kangaroo Mother Care the development of the baby is the best. The baby is in the right place and therefore has the right behaviour. The baby is secure in skin to skin and the mother and infant bond is established early. This will mean that the baby will receive better long term emotional stability. The primary bond of mother and child is the base on which all subsequent relationships are built.
Developmental pathways of the brain grow in appropriate ways not in ways determined by stress.
ALL OF THESE ABOVE FACTORS ARE EVEN MORE IMPORTANT IF THE BABY IS BORN PREMATURE. Kangaroo Mother Care has many benefits for the mother.
Skin to skin care at birth helps the mother to bond with her baby immediately and the skin to skin contact releases oxytocin making the mother calmer and helping the production of breastmilk to start. Breastfeeding releases hormones which help to contract the uterus resulting in less blood loss at delivery. The mothers are empowered when they do skin to skin care. The Mum becomes central to the caring team. The skin to skin contact helps the mum and baby to settle in to a rhythm of sleeping and waking together called “sleep synchrony” so the mother gets more sleep.
For premature deliveries mothers often have a sense of guilt and anxiety and are prone to post-natal depression. Holding her baby on her chest in Kangaroo Mother Care helps her to feel that she is completing her baby’s gestation and that she is giving her child the best possible care.
Carrying babies in KangaCarriers means that the mother is able to be mobile sooner and can leave the hospital earlier and return to normal daily life sooner.
Benefits of the KangaCarrier
The KangaCarrier shirt is designed to be safe for premature babies and is designed for the first eight weeks of full term babies life before they have neck control.
Benefits for the baby:
The baby in the KangaCarrier with the wrapper has its airway stabilized and the neck supported. The KangaCarrier provides security and containment for the baby while providing the full physiological benefits of skin-to-skin care including a stable temperature, heart rate, breathing and metabolism. The skin-to-skin contact reduces stress hormones in the baby. In a calm baby, food can be properly absorbed in the stomach, so the baby grows faster. The baby’s temperature stabilizes much faster on the mother’s chest than in an incubator. The KangaCarrier enables early bonding of the mother and baby so the baby will receive better long-term care and emotional stability.
The KangaCarrier also protects babies from the harmful effects of incubators.
Benefits for the mother:
The KangaCarrier for the full term baby provides security and peace of mind for the mother, as she knows that her baby is with her and safe, and that she is giving the best care to her baby. The shirt is convenient as it leaves both of the mother’s arms free to carry on with the normal business of life and walking around. The shirt is comfortable and made from polycotton, which does not need ironing. The KangaCarrier is safe enough for the mother and baby to sleep together without fear of rolling on the baby and this is soothing for both Mum and baby, so they get more rest.
For the Premature baby, the KangaCarrier allows the mother to “finish” her pregnancy with the baby on skin-to-skin. This reduces dramatically the guilt, depression, and anxiety, which is often associated with having a premature baby. The skin-to-skin contact stimulates the mother’s breastmilk production even if the baby is very premature. This has a profound impact on the baby’s well-being and survival as it gets all the benefits of mothers milk which helps the premature’s immune system.
The KangaCarrier empowers the mother to be part of the caring team for her baby. Fathers and other family members can use the KangaCarrier to relieve the mother, especially in a multiple birth situation common with premature babies. The KangaCarrier protects the Mother-Infant unit.
The shirt comes with detailed instructions for use with full term and premature babies.
To 'What Is KMC'
Design