Surely on more than one occasion you have heard of Kangaroo Mother Method, that method that consists of going to the Neonatal Unit, where premature babies and the sick are, take your baby and put skin with skin on your chest, so that it is with you, so that you give warmth, affection and so that Breastfeed
The benefits for premature babies are beyond doubt (now I will comment), but the point of the matter is that the benefits also exist when the baby is not premature and, nevertheless, it seems that not enough is done with babies born I finish it. That is why my advice is: When your baby is born, practice the Mother Kangaroo Method (MMC), even if it is not premature.
MMC benefits
He Kangaroo Mother Method it consists of taking the baby, leaving him in a diaper and putting him in contact skin to skin with the mother or father's chest, then covering both of them so that they are not cold. This helps the mother spend more time with her baby, pet her, know her and establish the beginning of a relationship that must last a long time. You know, the touch makes love and, The more you rub, the more honey.
It has been seen that MMC helps establish exclusive breastfeeding and that it is more durable. In the table below, taken from the WHO Kangaroo Mother's Practical Guide, you can see what are the data concerning breastfeeding in babies who do MMC and in control, which are babies who do not They carry it out:
As you can see, babies whose mothers practice MMC take more shots, drink more milk at the end of the day and are more weeks and months being breastfed than the others. This, for the protective effect of breast milk, is already a benefit to take into account.
Another benefit is that the relationship between the mother and the baby begins already in the hospital. For premature babies it is very important, because the sooner the mother takes charge of her care, the better she will perform her function once she arrives home and more security you will feel. Imagine that your baby spends the day in an incubator in the care of the hospital nurses and that one day you are discharged and take your baby, your fragile premature baby, home. The fear of doing it wrong and insecurity can make the first days very hard.
In case the baby is full term there is no incubator in between, but it is obvious that the longer the mother spends with her baby, the sooner they begin to know each other and the sooner the care begins, the sooner you begin to know the problems and the possible solutions and before they arrive the kisses and the caresses for the baby.
I think I've explained it on occasion, but just in case I do it again. At a conference by the neonatologist Adolfo Gómez Papí (one of those responsible for the MMC arriving in Spain) that I attended a few years ago, he explained that they had a very curious case of a 16-year-old girl who gave birth to a premature baby . The baby had to go to the incubator and she had not had much support from her family. She didn't feel too responsible for her baby and, apparently, didn't put much interest in seeing him. Then they accompanied her to the newborn unit, removed her baby from the incubator and placed it on her chest, skin to skin, as a kangaroo mother. Imagine what happened at the time they were together to say something that nobody expected: "I will never separate from my son."
But, in term-born babies they don't usually recommend it
It may sound a little strange to make this recommendation with babies born at term, taking into account that in the hospital they do not usually tell you to take your baby and have it on your chest as much as you want or as much as you can. I understand that it may sound strange because I myself have seen in the same hospital some nurses, in the Neonatal Unit, urging parents to do the MMC with their premature babies and, one floor above, where the full-term babies are, to nurses tell mothers that do not take babies so much and leave them in their cribs. Something like "But why do you take it? Was he crying?"
And they are not so different. It is true that babies are a few more immature weeks, but at the level of need for heat, affection and food they are exactly the same. Differences in size and weight, but those born full-term and premature are not more independent and autonomous, so the treatment should be the same, give them a lot of affection, many caresses and a lot of skin-to-skin contact. Also, let's not forget, the benefits are not just for babies.
Important also for parents
All this, achieving a successful breastfeeding and helping parents be responsible for their baby before makes the Kangaroo Mother Method help babies leave before hospital discharge, both premature and term born.
That's why when you have your baby, even if it's not premature, spend a lot of time with him in the chest. You, mom, and dad too. We dads have a small disadvantage. We have not known them for nine months, but since they were born, and since we do not usually be the main caregivers, it costs us a little more to establish the link with them. That is why, for us, being able to have our baby in the chest, noticing how he breathes, seeing his peace face while sleeping, caressing and hugging him, is very important because it will help us connect more with them and listen more to their needs and be more empathetic. That is why the Mother Kangaroo Method is recommended for all babies, whether premature or not, and recommended for all moms and dads.
