Finding a way to bond with your baby in NICU can be difficult to say the least. There are so many wires and tubes attached to your little one, nurses and doctors telling you what you can and cannot do, as well as the constant dinging of alarms. It is enough to jangle anyone’s nerves. It also doesn’t help that the touching in singing that comforted your baby yesterday, upsets him today.
One way to help both the parents and the baby (regardless if the child is preterm or full term) is Kangaroo Care. Kangaroo care is skin-to-skin contact between parent and child. Both the mother and father can participate.
During Kangaroo Care, there will be an Registered Nurse (RN) and a Respiratory Therapist (RT). They will work in sync to gently place the baby on the parent and make sure that the move doesn’t stress out the baby. This is extremely important with a baby who is still on a respirator and cannot breath on her own. The RN and RT will continue to monitor the baby and make sure she does not become overstressed.
The benefits of Kangaroo Care are many. It has a very calming effect on both the parent and the child. It will increase the milk supply in the mother. KC will encourage the bonding experience. During KC, the baby will have increased physiological stability, including heart rate, oxygen levels and temperature regulation.
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