The Impact of Kangaroo Care on Premature Infant Weight Gain
Section snippets
Background
Although kangaroo care, more commonly known as skin-to-skin contact, has been practiced among mothers and infants for centuries (Nyqvist et al., 2010), kangaroo care as a formal technique was developed by two Colombian pediatricians, Edgar Rey and Hector Martinez in 1978 in response to low neonatal resources with few incubators or isolettes to contain infants with low body weight (Rey & Martinez, 1983). The idea for the kangaroo care technique was derived from the care kangaroos provide to
Search Methods
Studies were eligible for review if they met specific criteria including a publication date within the past five years, were written in the English language, and were either a systematic review, randomized controlled trial or a non-randomized controlled trial. Furthermore, retrieved studies that focused on neonatal outcomes without examining premature infant weight gain were excluded from the review process (see Table 1).
To retrieve relevant articles pertaining to kangaroo care, multiple
Efficacy of Kangaroo Care on Infant Weight Gain
Findings from several international and domestic studies suggest that kangaroo care has a positive effect on infant weight gain (Table 1). All the studies employed inclusion criteria: low-birth weight premature infants without any respiratory distress, infections or invasive respiratory support and any infants with major anomalies, illnesses, infections or respiratory complications were excluded from the study samples. In addition, all the reviewed studies defined kangaroo care as a practice
Discussion of Evaluated Studies
Kangaroo care is a low-tech low-cost intervention favored by a majority of the evaluated research studies. Among the nine reviewed studies including a systematic review, randomized controlled trials and non-randomized controlled trials, kangaroo care was associated with improved weight gain or reduced body weight loss among premature infants, with the exception of the study by Ghavane et al. (2012). Findings from all of the studies, however, were derived from samples of non-critically ill
Conclusions
Kangaroo care is a practical intervention that promotes greater preterm infant weight gain since premature infants tend to deplete fewer calories while they are closely contained by their mothers (Dodd, 2005). Since all U.S. facilities have not adopted kangaroo care practices, nurses can be instrumental in overcoming the aforementioned barriers and fostering greater support for the implementation of this low-tech low-cost intervention to improve the outcomes of hospitalized premature infants.
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Cited by (30)
Effect of kangaroo care applied by mothers and fathers in premature infants: A crossover study
2023, Journal of Neonatal NursingThe effects of multisensory stimulation on the length of hospital stay and weight gain in hospitalized preterm infants: A systematic review with meta-analysis
2023, Brazilian Journal of Physical TherapyAssociation between early onset of skin-to-skin contact and mother-infant interaction at hospital discharge and six months of corrected age among preterm infants
2022, Early Human DevelopmentCitation Excerpt :There is strong evidence that skin-to-skin contact (SSC), that is, the maintenance of preterm infants, only in diapers and in an upright position, in direct contact on the chest of the parents and with the back wrapped by a blanket can alleviate the poor outcomes of preterm birth [11,12]. Studies have progressed, and it has been increasingly proven that SSC is an excellent, low-cost, evidence-based strategy for promoting and maintaining breastfeeding [13,14], for protection against hypothermia [15], weight gain, and shorter hospital stay [16], stabilization of maternal mental health [17,18] and longer child survival [19]. It also increases parents involvement at NICU [20,21] and maternal attachment [22].
Kangaroo mother care and skin-to-skin care in preterm infants in the neonatal intensive care unit: A bibliometric analysis
2022, Archives de PediatrieCitation Excerpt :The WHO reported in 2003 that kangaroo care is the most effective method of maintaining body temperature, preventing infections, stimulating the senses, and providing the mother's love for the baby's well-being. Also, kangaroo care is beneficial for premature infants because it helps to maintain regular breathing and reduces energy consumption, which aids infants in gaining the weight they need [7]. SSC is offered to newborns to the extent that the infants can tolerate it.
Dealing with neonatal emergencies in low-resource settings
2019, Seminars in Fetal and Neonatal MedicineCitation Excerpt :Skin to skin care continued beyond the immediate delivery period offers important benefits to the neonate including decrease in neonatal mortality and morbidity rates, decrease in rates of serious infection, increasing rates of exclusive breastfeeding, improving neonatal growth, decreasing hospital admission rates, improving maternal satisfaction, improving maternal-infant bonding and improving maternal competence [111–115]. The benefits of neonatal skin to skin care are particularly remarkable for preterm and low birth weight neonates [111,113–115]. Skin to skin care should be given to all neonates following birth.