Kangarooing is a direct contact of the skin of the mother and baby. It soothes the baby, gives him a sense of security, relieves postpartum stress, and in a premature baby it also alleviates unpleasant experiences related to prematurity, such as staying in an incubator. It is good to start kangarooing right after giving birth, and then both parents can kangaroo. What is kangaroo training? How long should it last?

Kangarooingis a direct contact of the newborn's body with the mother's body, called "skin to skin", which has only benefits. Doctors agree: The first few hours after birth are crucial for the further development of a newborn baby. His nervous system is then very sensitive to any stimuli. The birth itself is a great stress for a child, let alone facing the world on the other side of the belly. Research has shown that close contact with the mother may help an infant to adapt to a new situation faster - from the very first moments after giving birth.

The name is the result of observations of the animal world, especially kangaroos, which are born in an embryonic state and grow up and mature in their mother's pouch.

This method is not new, it was initiated for quite mundane reasons. In 1978, in a hospital in Bogota, due to a lack of staff and adequate equipment, premature babies were placed on their mothers' breasts, thus giving them a chance to survive. This method is also effective for children with complications in the womb and at birth. Although kangarooing is most often used in premature babies, close contact between the mother and the baby after delivery is recommended for all newborns.

Kangarooing - skin to skin

Kangarooing is about making a child feel the presence of a loved one as often as possible. The best way is to put a naked baby on his naked chest. It is good if the newborn spends as much time as possible in this position, even up to several hours a day. Contact with the parent gives the child a sense of security - the child feels the heartbeat, the smell and warmth of mom's or dad's skin. When kangarooing, it is worth gently massaging the child's back, which strengthens the feeling of closeness between the parent and the child and calms them down.

When there are contraindications for kangarooing on the mother's side, e.g. due to workmanshipadditional surgery, the kangarooing of the newborn can be taken over by another, close person. When the mother is transferred to the maternity ward, kangarooing can take up to many hours a day.

Kangarooing has only advantages

Kangarooing may not be very comfortable - because it's hard to lie on your breast with your baby for several hours. That's why you should exchange - mom kangaroo once, dad one time.

Benefits of kangarooing for a child:

Kangarooing in a he althy newborn should be started immediately after birth and should continue until the first feeding.

  • stress reduction related to childbirth and external stimuli, sense of security
  • reducing the risk of cardiovascular, respiratory and immune problems
  • faster weight gain
  • making it easier to fall asleep and go into deep sleep, which gives relaxation; the child sleeps more peacefully and cries less often
  • heat synchronization for mother and baby (when the baby's temperature drops, the mother's temperature rises and vice versa)
  • the baby's skin is colonized with the physiological flora from the mother's skin
  • faster acquisition of breast-sucking skills
  • shaping the correct relationship between the child and mother
  • premature babies achieve their proper body weight faster, and thus are discharged from the hospital faster; kangarooing also alleviates unpleasant experiences related to prematurity, such as staying in an incubator, numerous tests or the use of large amounts of drugs. It has been confirmed that premature babies gain weight faster, gain better body temperature regulation, the nervous system develops faster and they achieve proper muscle tone faster, the time of artificial ventilation is shortened, they learn to suck faster and more willingly

Kangaroo benefits for mother:

  • in women, thanks to kangarooing, lactation is stimulated, which indirectly contributes to the better he alth of the newborn - it is known that breastfed babies get sick less often
  • allows you to reduce the stress associated with childbirth, especially premature birth
  • supports parents' competences, especially in the case of the first child
  • mother and caregivers learn their child faster, get to know the signals they send to the environment
  • creates and develops an emotional bond between mother and child
  • faster uterine contraction and less bleeding

Kangaroo benefits for father:

  • father feels needed
  • you develop a deep bond with your baby
  • relieves the loadyour wife, partner
  • has a soothing and calming effect on both dad and baby

Kangarooing is beneficial not only for the toddler. Also, mom will find herself in a new role faster and easier. Research has shown that close contact with the baby significantly reduces the mother's postpartum sadness - the so-called baby blues.

Kangarooing the newborn - the first contact with the baby is very important

Source: x-news.pl/Dzień Dobry TVN

Bibliography:

Bajek A., Marcinkowski J., Rzempowska J., Gawłowicz K., Kangarooing - recommended first direct contact of the newborn's body with the mother's body, "Hygeia Public He alth" 2014, No. 49 (3)

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