This document discusses Kangaroo Mother Care (KMC), an approach where preterm or low birth weight infants are held skin-to-skin against the mother's chest. KMC aims to provide warmth, safety, nutrition and support to immature newborns, similar to how a kangaroo carries its joey. The document outlines the origins of KMC, components like positioning and breastfeeding, benefits like improved health outcomes and bonding, and calls for KMC to be integrated globally based on its effectiveness.

1. KANGAROO MOTHER CARE

2. WHY IS IT CALLED
KANGAROO MOTHER CARE?
• A newborn baby kangaroo (joey) is very
immature at birth and very small in size
• The mother kangaroo’s pouch provides
warmth, safety and a constant supply of
milk to the joey
• Similar to kangaroo care giving the
human infant is also immature and
especially the LBW infant benefits
from skin-to-skin care because it
provides warmth, safety and food
Whitelaw 1985, Malawi KMC Training Manual

3. KMC
• Kangaroo Mother Care (KMC) is care of newborn infants
secured skin-to-skin to the mother
• KMC is a powerful and easy to use method to promote the
health and well-being of
– Low birth weight (LBW) - infants with birth weight below 2500g
– Preterm infants – infants with gestational age less than 37 weeks

4. REASONS WHY KMC WAS
IMPLEMENTED
• In 1979, Dr Edgar Rey & Hector Martinez worked in Bogotá,
Colombia
• At the hospital where they worked large numbers of LBW & preterm
infants delivered because of:
◦ Poor Ante Natal Care attendance
◦ High incidence of toxaemia of pregnancy, anaemia & infections
◦Shortages of staff & inadequate equipment
◦High infection & mortality rate because of overcrowding
◦Large numbers of infants who were abandoned by their
mothers
Whitelaw A and Sleath K, 1985

5. ADVANTAGES AFTER IMPLEMENTATION
• This practice resulted in:
Improved outcome for LBW infants
◦ Humanized general care of infants in hospital
◦ Decreased hospitalisation time and mortality
◦ Less overcrowding
◦ Less abandoned infants
◦ Improved staff moral
Whitelaw A and Sleath K, 1985

6. DIAGRAM OF KMC COMPONENTS

7. COMPONENTS/ELEMENTS OF KMC
• Kangaroo position
 Skin-to-skin on the mother’s chest
 Secured with a wrap
• Kangaroo nutrition
 Exclusive breastfeeding whenever possible
• Kangaroo discharge
 Mother continues KMC practice at home after discharge
• Kangaroo Support
 Health care staff provide support to the mother to take care
of her infant in the hospital
 Family support of mother in practicing KMC at home

8. WHAT SHOULD
THE MOTHER
WEAR?

10. WHAT SHOULD
THE BABY WEAR?

13. KMC POSITION
• Place the baby between the mother’s breasts in an upright
position
• Turn the head to the side, in a slightly extended
position
 This is to keep the airway open
 It also allows eye-to-eye contact between mother and baby
• Avoid forward flexion & hyperextension of the neck
 Infant should be in a flexed position - legs & arms
 Secure baby with a binder / wrap
 The top of the binder should be at the baby’s ear

15. THE SUPPORT BINDER
• Tie the binder firmly enough so that the baby will not slide
out
• Make sure that the tight part of the cloth is across the baby’s
chest
• The baby’s abdomen should not be constricted
• Baby should have enough room for abdominal breathing
• Examples

16. THE SUPPORT BINDER

18. ANY FAMILY MEMBER CAN DO IT !
• Father &
other family
members
can do.

19. ANY FAMILY MEMBER CAN DO IT !

20. KMC/KFC

21. KANGAROO NUTRITION
•Exclusive breastfeeding
•Initially tube or cup feeding before
breastfeeding is established

22. KANGAROO DISCHARGE
• Once the baby is feeding well, maintaining stable body
temperature in KMC position and gaining weight, mother
and baby can go home
• Baby is well with no evidence of infection
• Feeding well (predominant breast milk)
• Gaining weight (15-20 gm/kg/day)
• Maintaining body temperature(in room temperature)

23. KANGAROO DISCHARGE
• Mother confident of taking care of the baby
• The mother continues to practice KMC after the infant is
discharged home
• Follow-up visits ensured

24. KANGAROO SUPPORT
• Health care staff support in hospital
◦ Emotional support – The mother needs encouragement if
she is to give KMC
◦Teaching mothers the skill to take care of their LBW infants
• After discharge infants need regular followup to check
satisfactory weight gain
• Support from the family at home to help mother take care of
her infant and practice KMC at home

25. BENEFITS OF KMC

26. KMC: BENEFITS TO THE BABY
• Improved cardiac and respiratory stability
• Fewer episodes of desaturation & apnoea
• KMC can successfully treat mild respiratory distress
• Improved gastrointestinal function
• Higher initiation & duration of breastfeeding
& satisfactory weight gain
• Protection against infections

27. KMC: Benefits to the Baby
• Effective thermal control
◦ Baby’s temperature is maintained within a narrow temperature
range
◦ A thermal synchrony develops between mother & baby
• Infants are much less stressed and this provides neurological
protection to the infant and the result is:
◦ Improved neurodevelopment
◦ Better organised sleep patterns
◦ More mature and organised electrical brain activity
KMC: BENEFITS TO THE BABY

28. BENEFITS TO THE MOTHER
• Boosts mother’s confidence in caring her infant
• Improved bonding between mother and infant due to the
physical closeness between them
• Mothers are empowered to play an active role in their infants
care
• Mothers are enabled to become the primary care giver of
their infants by building up their confidence.
• Breast feeding is promoted

29. BENEFITS TO THE HOSPITAL
• Significant cost-savings
• Better outcomes
 Less dependence on incubators
 Less nursing staff necessary
 Shorter hospital stay
• Improved morale & quality of care
• Better survival

30. TYPES OF KMC: INTERMITTENT
• Intermittent KMC is practiced with infants
◦Where incubators or warm rooms are available
◦Who are very small and still need incubator care
◦Who are not on full oral feeds
◦Who are receiving oxygen therapy
• Range from many times per day to only once every few days
• The time period can vary from minutes to hours at a time

31. TYPES OF KMC: INTERMITTENT
• The duration of intermittent KMC depends on the condition
of the infant and the availability of the mother
• It encourages the mother to take part in care of her infant
while still in the nursery(family centred)

32. TYPES OF KMC: CONTINUOUS
• It is KMC that is given continuously, both day & night
• KMC may discontinue for very short periods when the mother has
to attend personal needs
• Can be practiced in hospital or when doing KMC at
home
• It should always be used where there are no incubators
• It requires support from the family members, including
the husband
• It is the ideal type of KMC for LBW infants

33. DISCONTINUATION OF KMC
• Term gestation
• Weight ~ 2500 gm or more
• Baby uncomfortable
• Pulls limbs out
• Cries from mouth
• Mother can continue KMC after giving the baby a bath and
during cold nights

34. 1998 BOGOTÁ DECLARATION
“Kangaroo Mother Care is a basic right of the newborn and
should be an integral part of the management of low
birth weight and full term infants in allsettings at all levels of
care and in all communities.”

35. IMPATIENT OPTIMISTS
BILL AND MELINDA GATES
FOUNDATION

37. THANK YOU