No we don’t mean care for newborn kangaroos. Kangaroo Mother Care (KMC) is the type of care you may want to consider for your baby. It is an available method of care for newborns, that is beneficial to the baby and the mother, especially for premature babies, and it’s free! KMC has 3 essential parts and they are skin-to-skin contact, exclusive breastfeeding, and support to the mother and infant as a pair (dyad).

Skin-to-Skin Contact is between your baby’s front and your chest. If possible, place your baby on your chest right after he or she is born. Skin-to-skin contact is good to do any time, day or night. However, remember to place your baby on his or her back on a firm surface for sleep at night and for naps. 

Exclusive Breastfeeding  means that your baby only needs breast milk either by drinking directly from you or drinking your expressed milk.

Support to the dyad means that even if medical tests and procedures need to be done, health care providers will try not to separate you and your baby.

 Benefits of KMC

• You and your baby are able to begin bonding right away      
• Your baby’s oxygen, breathing and heart rates stabilize 
• Your baby’s temperature stabilizes
• Your breast milk production is signaled to start
• Your baby can breast feed easily and more often
• Your baby will smell breast milk and begin rooting (looking for the nipple)
• Your breast milk provides nutrients and antibodies that promote the health of your baby
• Your baby is less stressed and cries less often                     

The picture in this post is of a mom who delivered at one of our local hospitals. She gave us permission to use her photo to help promote skin-to-skin and breastfeeding.

Do you have any experience with Kangaroo Mother Care? We’d love to hear your stories.

Source: Kangaroo Mother Care Promotions

This year’s Pertussis Awareness Day, August 5^th, was celebrated with NASCAR star Jeff Gordon. Jeff teamed up with March of Dimes and Sanofi Pasteur to promote the Pertussis Awareness campaign and contest, Sound off about Pertussis. This is an educational song and video contest that uses the power of music to help educate people about pertussis, more commonly known as whooping cough, and the importance of adult pertussis vaccination. If you would like more details about this contest, visit Sound off about Pertussis .

Why should you be concerned about Whooping Cough (Pertussis)?

Pertussis is a very contagious bacterial infection that causes cold-like symptoms which leads to severe coughing. In many cases, especially in babies, pertussis can lead to hospitalization, pneumonia, convulsions, even death! Babies are at a higher risk because they may not have received their complete DTaP vaccination yet. For maximum protection against pertussis, children need five DTaP shots. The first three shots are given at 2, 4, and 6 months of age. The fourth shot is given between 15 and 18 months of age, and a fifth shot is given when a child enters school, at 4–6 years of age. Parents can also help protect infants by keeping them away as much as possible from anyone who has cold symptoms or is coughing.

To hear what Pertussis sounds like, visit Sounds of Pertussis

Are you going to enter the contest? We’d be happy to hear all about your epxerience.

Source: CDC Features: Pertussis (Whooping Cough) – What you need to know ; Sound off about Pertussis