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Close Contact
How Kangaroo Care Can Help Your Preemie
By Lyn Mettler
Kangaroo Care also can help reduce some of the stress of the NICU for both parents and babies, as well as the fear and nervousness parents may feel about handling their baby. "It is a very stressful environment for parents," says Dr. Scott Johnson, the medical director of neonatal services at Piedmont Hospital in Atlanta, Ga. "They feel helpless and are worried about the baby's medical condition. It's intimidating. Some are even scared to death to touch them. I've seen [Kangaroo Care] greatly decrease the level of anxiety they feel in visiting their baby. It allows them to gradually get more comfortable and feel better caring for the baby, easing the transition from hospital to home."
Larimer says she was afraid to hold her own baby, but overcame the fear quickly. "I was scared to death to hold her. I couldn't breathe for the first few minutes," says Larimer, who advises parents to give it a try despite their reservations. "Even though you're scared to death to try it, it's the best feeling you'll ever have." Larimer has developed a free booklet for parents of premature babies who may be scared or unsure about Kangaroo Care that is available through her Web site at www.geocities.com/roopage.
Researchers have found that babies receive the same benefits by "kangarooing" with their dad as they do with their mom. According to Ludington, though, the baby is naturally immune to Mom's germs – but not to Dad's, so fathers need to "scrub up" before holding the baby.
With twin boys born at 28 weeks, Matthew and Suzanne Howard of Smyrna, Ga., were nervous about Kangaroo Care, but they worked it out so each held a baby. Though Matthew was unsure about holding the babies at first because they were so tiny, once he laid them on his chest, he was hooked. "When we got to hold them, it was incredible," he says. "They would snuggle right up on my chest. It was really sweet."
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