Day 56: Kangaroo Mother Care

When I was pregnant with Isla, we attended a birthing class in order to learn about the birth process.  But we also learned ways to bond with our daughter, and general care that new parents might not readily know.  When it came time for her arrival, I can't say that I remembered and implemented everything that we learned in that class, but there were definitely a few key things that stuck out in my mind.  One of those being the importance of skin-to-skin contact, particularly at birth but also in the first weeks and months of her life.  It was a sweet moment to be able to hold my child to my chest after she was born.  I was exhausted, and pretty "out of it" according to John, but I do remember that moment vividly.  Isla was here.  I was holding her close.

Skin-to-skin contact is also for medical reasons, as well as for bonding reasons.  The mothers body can help regulate the newborns body temperature, respiratory rate, and heart rate.  It's the best place for the baby to be.  It also places the baby in the best position to begin learning to eat, with the breast close and easy to latch on to.  These principals are central to the Kangaroo Mother Care program that is being taught to mothers in Malawi, Africa, with the goal of reducing death of pre-term, low-weight babies.  This video shows the success of this simple, yet vital, method of saving lives.  

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