You may have heard the term kangaroo care in terms of taking care of babies, but it doesn’t have anything to do with a pouch or with kangaroos. This specific form of holding your baby can do so much for both of you, especially if she’s been born a little early.
The Basics of Kangaroo Care
Kangaroo care sounds like it might be complicated, but it’s a really simple concept. There are a lot of ways to do it, but kangaroo care is primarily direct skin contact with your baby. This means that you’re holding your baby without a onesie or shirt against your bare chest. You can do kangaroo care time with even the tiniest babies, even if they’re connected to monitoring equipment.
There’s not anything active about kangaroo care. It’s all contact with you that makes the magic happen. As a preemie, your baby needs that full contact with you as a part of growing and developing. If you’re nervous about kangaroo care once you come home, pediatric home health care providers can help you and your baby find the right combination of details that help you to feel most comfortable.
Kangaroo Care Is Fantastic for Bonding
The biggest benefit from kangaroo care is that you and your baby are able to bond during this time. For a preemie who has to spend the majority of her day in an incubator, having this time with you is a reminder of the closeness of the womb. But that doesn’t mean that kangaroo care is just for mothers. Fathers and preemies can also bond through kangaroo care.
Preemies Who Have Trouble Regulating Body Heat Benefit Greatly
Some preemies have a really difficult time regulating their own body heat. Clothing, warming pads, and other tools can help, but there’s no substitute for kangaroo care with a parent. The baby’s body temperature regulates to your body temperature. As the baby grows and catches up to where she is supposed to be, she may need less kangaroo care time.
Kangaroo Care Relieves Stress for You and Your Baby
Because kangaroo care is so relaxing for your baby, it can help to relieve the stresses that she feels as she’s growing and developing. It can also help to relieve the stress that you experience as the parent of a preemie who needs so much extra help. Even just a few minutes every day of this type of contact with your baby can give you both amazing results.
Once you and your baby come home from the NICU, you might find that kangaroo care is still helpful for your baby. Time limits that you might have had to deal with in the NICU aren’t as applicable at home, either.
If you or a loved one are in need of Pediatric Home Health Care Services in Catasauqua PA or the surrounding areas, contact the caring professionals at Extended Family Care of Allentown. Call today at (610) 200-6097.
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