Science behind KMC

Kangaroo mother care to reduce disabilities and deaths in low birthweight infants

How is KMC effective?

Kangaroo Mother Care should begin as soon as possible after birth, be applied as continuous skin-to-skin contact to the extent that this is possible and appropriate and continue for as long as appropriate, to promote maturation. Intrapartum and postnatal care in all types of settings should adhere to a paradigm of non-separation of infants and their mothers/families.

New publication

New research published on the 27th of May 2021 in the New England Journal of Medicine has shown that KMC improves premature babies’ chances of survival when it is started immediately after birth instead of waiting till the baby is stable

References
  1. Conde-Agudelo A, Diaz-Rossello JL, Belizan JM. Kangaroo mother care to reduce morbidity and mortality in low birthweight infants. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2003;(2):CD002771. doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD002771. Update in: Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2011;(3):CD002771. DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD002771 PMID: 12804436
  2. Bahl R., Rao S. Immediate Kangaroo Mother Care and Survival of Low Birth Weight Infants, N Engl J Med. 2021 May 27; 384(21): 2028–2038. doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa2026486: 10.1056/NEJMoa2026486 PMCID: PMC8108485 PMID: 34038632
  3. Wang, Y., Zhao, T., Zhang, Y., Li, S., & Cong, X. (2021). Positive Effects of Kangaroo Mother Care on Long-Term Breastfeeding Rates, Growth, and Neurodevelopment in Preterm Infants. Breastfeeding medicine: the official journal of the Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine, 16(4), 282–291. https://doi.org/10.1089/bfm.2020.0358