The Villager Newspaper Online Your Community News – Cleveland's Westshore
The Mercy Birthing Center team recently celebrated their certification and training in kangaroo care with a special “Roo Crew” kick-off.
The bond between a mother and her newborn baby can be a powerful one. Because a strong emotional attachment can help infants in numerous ways, the Mercy Birthing Center is taking extra steps to help new parents and their babies strengthen their bonds through kangaroo care, or a special way of holding a baby after birth.
“In kangaroo care, skin-to-skin contact is maximized by placing the baby directly on their mother or father’s bare chest, in an upright position, wearing only a diaper and a covering on their backs, typically a blanket or their parent’s shirt,” explains Amy Berry, coordinator of the special care nursery at the Mercy Birthing Center. “Originally developed as a technique for caring for premature infants, kangaroo care has proven to be equally valuable for full-term babies as well.”
Benefits of kangaroo care include:
- Helping the baby to transition to the outside world easier
- Stabilizing of the baby’s heart and respiratory rates
- Increasing the milk supply for the mother and more successful breastfeeding sessions for the baby
- Increasing warmth for the baby
- Helping the baby to cry less and sleep more
- More rapid weight gain for the baby
- Giving the baby important antibodies from their mother or father’s skin
- Improving the bonding experience, feelings of closeness and confidence for parents
“Because of the extensive benefits of this special skin-to-skin contact, the Mercy Birthing Center recently had several members of our team become certified in providing kangaroo care,” says Berry. “They, in turn have trained the remainder of our staff, and we have renewed our focus on ensuring families on our unit have an opportunity to deepen their bond with their new babies and reap the rewards of this special experience.”
While kangaroo care is typically utilized shortly after the baby is born, continuing the skin-to-skin contact after the mother and baby are home for at least one hour four or more times a week is encouraged to continue the benefits for mom and baby.
If you plan to do kangaroo care with your baby, it’s a good idea to have a birth plan and talk to your physician or midwife about it, even if you have a cesarean section.
When you have your baby at Mercy, we partner with you to ensure that your birth experience is aligned with your expectations whenever possible. We understand that giving birth is a personal experience for you and your family. Our childbirth and parenting programs and services help you feel prepared before the baby arrives, when you are in labor, and when you bring your new baby home. For more information, call 1-877-247-6161.
