Question

Analyze the importance of kangaroo care, the benefits and any contraindications, and describe a plan of care for the family who chooses to employ KC

Answer 1

Kangaroo mother care is very important in newborns to provide skin to skin contact with the mother, thereby preventing hypothermia in Newborns. It provides a strong bond between the mother and newborns, thus enhances the growth and development of newborn.

Benefits for newborn

• Provides thermoregulation
• Through conduction of heat from mother, stabilises skin temperature
• Enhances bonding of infant to mother
• Thermoregulation of stable premature babies ca be promoted
• Enhances growth and development
• Stabilises the heart rate and respiratory rate
• Improves oxygenation
• Promotes sleep in newborn

Benefits for mother

• Promotes bonding
• Increase the breast milk production
• Easy latch on breast by the newborn
• Provides a psychological attachment to parenthood
• More responsible to the newborn

Contraindications

• Medically unstable
• Very low birth weight child
• Who need ventillator support
• Immediate postoperative period
• Have chest drainge tubes or any other drainage tubes

Plan for the family care

• Teach the importance of KMC
• Ensure family to provide privacy
• Ask the caretaker to wrap baby in clothes and provide a breastfeeding chair to the woman.
• Ensure about a calm and quiet environment
• Schedule a time daily for KMC
• Do not disturb the mother during. KMC
• Ask the family to provide food to mother before KMC
• Ask mother to empty the bladder
• Ensure KMC atleast 1 hour twice a day
• Mother should maintain proper hygiene and wear loose and clean clothes
• During KMC, infant cloth has to be removed.
• Check the infant skin temperature very often.
• Ensure that baby is well tucked against the chest of mother.
• The caregiver keep a watch on mother's alertness. Should not allow the mother to sleep off during KMC.