Durban – Parents of newborns got to experience bonding with their little ones during the celebration of International Kangaroo Care Awareness Day which took place today in Netcare Linkwood Hospital in Johannesburg this week.
The session was to encourage the importance of bonding practice between parents and newborn babies and nurturing space for them (newborns) in the early weeks of life as they adapt to the world outside the womb.
Kangaroo care is highly beneficial for all parents and babies in appropriate circumstances and particularly for premature or low birth-weight babies, according to Verena Bolton, a neonatal nurse and national co-ordinator of Netcare’s human milk banks.
“Skin to skin care is actively encouraged in our maternity and neonatal units in support of the World Health Organization’s Mother Baby Friendly Initiative, and as part of Netcare’s approach to family-centred care.
“Kangaroo care encourages successful breastfeeding, which helps to ensure a healthy digestive tract and immune system, as well as aiding in the development of a normal skin microbiome for the baby,” says Bolton.
The bonding session was a 24-hour Kangaroo-a-thon for mothers currently admitted, babies admitted in the neonatal intensive care unit and families recently discharged.
The Independent on Saturday