Kangaroo mother care for preterm and underweight babies

Kangaroo mother care is a method of standardised care for premature babies or for babies who weigh less than 2.5 kgs by way of skin-to-skin contact with the mother or father or carer while continuing exclusive breastfeeding. It helps in the quicker discharge of babies from hospitals as they gain weight faster. Kangaroo mother care gets its name from the way kangaroos hold their babies in their pouch. Benefits of kangaroo mother care includes: 1. Long hours of skin-to-skin contact with the mother early on help the baby to be colonised by healthy bacteria. 2. Enhances bonding between mother and child. 3. Promotes early and exclusive breastfeeding and enhances the rate of the same. 4. Helps in weight gain and growth in head circumference. 5. Reduces stress levels in the mother. 6. Reduces rates of serious infections. 7. Reduces body temperature fluctuations and hypothermia (dip in temperature). 8. Improves neurodevelopment outcomes. 9. Reduces chances of repeated handling of babies by doctors and nurses and thus contributes to reduced mortality and morbidity