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Abstract
Background: Hypothermia, illness, feeding issues, poor weight gain, and neonatal death are more common in low-birth-weight (LBW) and preterm infants. A straightforward and inexpensive strategy for enhancing new-born outcomes is Kangaroo Mother Care (KMC), which primarily consists of extended skin-to-skin contact combined with breast-milk feeding. According to current World Health Organization guidelines, KMC should be started as soon as feasible after birth and is supported as standard care for preterm and LBW new-borns.
Methods: One hundred low-birth-weight new-borns hospitalized to a neonatal care unit participated in a prospective comparison study. The comparison group consisted of 50 neonates receiving traditional neonatal care, while the intervention group consisted of 50 neonates undergoing early and prolonged KMC. During hospitalization, measurements of the new-born’s weight, temperature, heart rate, respiration rate, oxygen saturation, feeding pattern, bouts of hypothermia, and probable infection were taken. KMC was promoted for extended daily times and started as soon as it was clinically possible.
Results: In the illustrative dataset, neonates receiving KMC demonstrated greater mean daily weight gain than those receiving conventional care. The KMC group also showed better thermal stability, higher exclusive breastfeeding at discharge and fewer episodes of hypothermia and suspected sepsis. The mean daily weight gain was 22.8 ± 4.9 g/day in the KMC group compared with 17.1 ± 5.2 g/day in the conventional-care group (p<0.001). Exclusive breastfeeding at discharge was observed in 46 (92.0%) KMC neonates compared with 37 (74.0%) conventional-care neonates (p=0.018).
Conclusion: Early and extended KMC may lessen common infant morbidities and enhance feeding outcomes, weight gain, and thermal stability in LBW neonates. When it is clinically appropriate, KMC should be incorporated into standard neonatal nursing care.
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