Kangaroo Care

Kangaroo care is a method of holding or caring for a baby which emphasizes ample skin-to-skin contact. The baby is held upright and placed on the parent's bare chest.The term is based on how the naked or partially dressed baby is enveloped inside the pouch of her parent’s shirt, just like how a joey stays inside its mother’s pouch. This is most often associated with caring for premature newborns as it was a response to the 70% death rate of preterm babies in Colombia during the 1970s. The causes of death were respiratory problems, infections, and lack of attention. Studies proved that the infants who were often closely held to their mothers’ bodies thrived. Nowadays, kangaroo care is encouraged in hospitals for both preterm and term babies as this method was found out to stabilize heart rate and respiration rate, enhance oxygen saturation, improve brain development, and regulate body temperature. Interestingly, an infant who snuggles into her mother’s breasts typically falls asleep within several minutes. Moreover, the breasts can change in temperature to accommodate the infant’s temperature needs. For instance, the breasts can increase its temperature if the baby is cold and vice versa.