Researchers found that infants with low birth weights may benefit from what is known as kangaroo mother care (KMC). In fact, experts found that mortalities due to low birth weight were reduced by more than one- third in infants whose mothers practiced the said type of care.
Even children with normal or high birth weights were found to benefit from KMC such that they exhibited improved oxygenation, better temperature regulation and pain tolerance.
What Is Kangaroo Mother Care?
KMC, also dubbed kangaroo-style care, is a rearing practice that has long been recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) to lessen infant deaths, specifically in developing nations.
KMC involves initiating and keeping skin-to-skin contact between the mother and the infant, practicing exclusive breastfeeding measures, early hospital discharge after delivery and strict home care.
The exact mechanism that makes KMC beneficial to babies is not yet fully understood, but it is said to promote breastfeeding and normal body temperature. According to reviews, about 50 percent of new mothers who practice KMC are more likely to breastfeed their infants. KMC is connected to 39 percent higher probability of exclusive breastfeeding, one to four months after the delivery.
Investigating The Effects Of "Kangaroo-Style" Care
The researchers from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and Boston Children's Hospital reviewed 124 previous researches that delved into skin-to-skin contact among mothers and their newborns. All the studies in the meta-analysis were conducted between 2000 and 2014.
The findings showed that infants who had low birth weights (less than 4.4 pounds) and received KMC exhibited 36 percent of reduced deaths, and 47 percent lower risk of sepsis or severe infection.
KMC also caused infants to have higher levels of oxygen and better development of head circumference. Infants also exhibited better pain tolerance.
The findings were generally consistent in all nations examined, regardless of each country's low, middle or high income bracket.
"While KMC or skin-to-skin care is particularly useful for low birth weight babies born where medical resources are limited, developed and developing countries are moving to 'normalize' KMC or skin-to-skin as a beneficial practice for all newborns and mothers," said senior author Grace Chan.
Current State Of Newborn Care
Approximately 4 million newborns die each year within the first month of life. Babies born with low birth weights are most likely affected by these unfortunate deaths.
While modern technology and advanced medical equipment such as incubators may help to enhance prognosis of high-risk infants, availability and accessibility are massive issues. People from low- and middle-income countries cannot usually afford such health devices even if they are available in their area. About 99 percent of all newborn deaths happen in these nations.
Chan and lead author Ellen Boundy hope that their study will give a better insight into the effectiveness of kangaroo-style care. Through this, health professionals, mothers, families and legislators will see more clearly the advantages that this practice can have on newborn care.
The paper was published in the journal Pediatrics on Tuesday, Dec. 22.
Photo: Aurimas Mikalauskas | Flickr
