Sunday, September 13, 2009

Kangaroo Care


I've been pretty fascinated by mother nature over the past few weeks and especially the dynamic between mom and baby.  As we've mentioned, Ashley has been going to the NICU every day to hold Maddie for a few hours.  They refer to that time "Kangaroo Care".  There have been a number of studies that show benefits to the mother and child including:
  • Increased growth rate for the baby
  • Fewer sleep apnea incidents for the baby
  • Body temperature regulation for the baby
  • Increased milk production for mom
  • Increased quality of rest for the baby
  • Shorter hospital stay for the baby
Here's one of the sites that references some of the research on Kangaroo Care (thanks to CoCo for the link):
http://www.prematurity.org/baby/kangaroo.html

6 comments:

  1. Beautiful baby girl and mother. You are in our personal prayers and Powerhouse of Praise Intercessors are also praying for you.

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  2. I read about Kangaroo Care in my Life Span and Growth Development class. It's pretty fascinating to learn how even a baby that young can sense a parent's love and can thus receive motivation to stay healthy from it. Incredible.

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  3. I would also like to add how beautiful Ashley's nails look from the picture, and I would like to care full credit for it ;-)

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  4. Maddie looks like she is snuggled in for some of the kangaroo care high "quality" rest. She is so precious and it is wonderful to know she is gaining those ounces! love, joey

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  5. I think Natalie meant 'take' full credit for it :)

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  6. Your family is in our thoughts and prayers. I am glad to hear Maddie is getting snuggle time w/ mom. We can't wait to meet her on our next trip out to TX.

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