International Kangaroo Care Awareness Day, which takes place each year on Thursday 15 May, aims to increase the support for, and knowledge of, the practice of Kangaroo Care. Kangaroo Care is the unique ‘kangaroo-like’ therapy of skin-to-skin contact between a newborn and an adult.
This year marks the 15th anniversary of Kangaroo Care Awareness Day and the theme “Stillness is Strength” is a reminder that in moments of calm, babies find healing, stability and resilience. When parents hold their infant skin-to-skin, the quiet rhythm of breath, heartbeat and warmth becomes powerful medicine. This year’s theme highlights how the gentle presence of families provides strength for babies to grow and thrive, while honouring the clinicians, caregivers and communities who make Kangaroo Care possible around the world.
Kangaroo Care originated in Colombia, where it was developed as an alternative to inadequate and insufficient incubator care for those preterm newborn infants who had overcome initial problems and required only to feed and grow. Decades of research and development has improved upon the initial work. It is now well documented that modern evidence-based Kangaroo Care lowers infant mortality and the risk of hospital-acquired infection, increases weight gain of infants, increases rates of breastfeeding, protects neuromotor and brain development of infants and improves mother-infants bonding, among other benefits.
To help healthcare professionals support mothers and families in practising Kangaroo Care, the World Health Organization (WHO) has recently published an updated Clinical Practice Guide. By addressing both clinical and system-level needs, the Guide equips healthcare professionals to deliver consistent, high-quality, family-centred care. When integrated into strong health systems, and delivered as part of comprehensive, high-quality newborn care, Kangaroo Care can help improve survival, reduce complications and support healthy growth and development. The Guide can be viewed by clicking on the link: https://www.who.int/publications/m/item/kangaroo-mother-care–a-clinical-practice-guide
The NICE Postnatal Care guideline NG194 recommends healthcare professionals discuss the importance of bonding and emotional attachment with parents, before and after the birth, and the approaches that can help them to bond with their baby. The guideline states parents should be encouraged to value the time they spend with their baby as a way of promoting emotional attachment, including: face-to-face interaction, skin-to-skin contact and responding appropriately to the baby’s cues. Full details of the Postnatal Care NICE guideline NG194 can be found at https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng194/chapter/recommendations
As a passionate advocate of the merits of Kangaroo Care, Central Medical Supplies (CMS) provides healthcare professionals with a range of products to assist with the technique, including both baby warming and phototherapy systems. The Kanmed Baby Warmer is clinically proven to help babies from 1,000 grams maintain their core baby temperature and achieve normothermia. A key advantage of the Warmer, as opposed to a traditional incubator, is the access it gives parents to their baby so they can participate in Kangaroo Care. The Kanmed Baby Warmer enables babies to be moved out of a traditional incubator sooner, making it a cost effective solution for hospitals, as it enables more babies to be cared for.
As part of its positive social impact and sustainability commitment, CMS is currently gifting 5% of its sales of the Kanmed BabyBed, Kanmed Twin BabyBed and Kanmed Baby Warmer to the Ickle Pickles Children’s Charity. Ickle Pickles is the only charity that raises funds to donate intensive care equipment to neonatal units across England and Wales.
CMS also supplies the BiliCocoon® phototherapy system, which aims to treat neonatal jaundice without compromising the relationship between mother and baby. Unlike traditional phototherapy treatment, where the infant is separated from its mother for long periods, the BiliCocoon® system means there can be physical contact while a baby is undergoing essential light treatment.
For more information on the benefits of Kangaroo Care, along with Kanmed and BiliCocoon® product details, contact Sarah Ward, Brand and Product Manager at Central Medical Supplies, on 07985 425 397 or email sarah.ward@centralmedical.co.uk. Alternatively, you can find out more by visiting www.centralmedical.co.uk.
