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Skin-to-skin contact

The importance of skin-to-skin contact (also known as Kangaroo care) with a preterm infant

  • If possible, you should encourage parents to get skin-to-skin contact with their baby (also known as Kangaroo care) whilst tube-feeding.  Infants who are separated from their mother have been shown to exhibit a behaviour response which has been linked with a rise in glucocorticords1,2, which is linked with subtle disturbances in glucose homeostasis3.  Skin-to-skin contact has been shown to help reduce this rise in glucocorticords5
  • The benefits associated with skin-to-skin contact are:
    • It encourages stimulation of milk production6 and it is thought that the duration of breastfeeding is longer in infants who have skin-to-skin contact versus those who do not5,6,7
    • It promotes bonding between the infant and mother1
    • Frequent skin-to-skin contact is thought to trigger mammary antibody production which would help to protect the infant against the neonatal environment8.  However, further research is required on this

Due to the immaturity of a preterm infant’s physiology and neurodevelopmental systems, there are often problems establishing breastfeeding.  For this reason, mothers should be encouraged to express breast milk as soon as possible, which can be stored and used for tube feeding. 

 

References
  1. Bergman N et al.  The ‘kangaroo method’ for treating low birthweight babies in a developing country.  Trop Doc 1994; 24: 57-60.
  2. Jones E and King C.  Feeding and nutrition in the preterm infant.  Elsevier Churchill Livingstone; 2005:106-107.
  3. Kolvisto M et al.  Blood glucose level in preterm infants after antenatal exposure to glucocorticord.  Acta Paediatr 2007; 96(5): 664-668.
  4. Mooncey S et al.  The effect of mother-infant skin-to-skin contact on plasma cortisol and β-endophin concentrations in preterm newborns.  Infant Behaviour and Development 1997; 20(4): 553-557.
  5. Hurst N et al.  Skin-to-skin holding in the neonatal intensive care unit influences maternal milk volume.  J Perinatol 1997; 17: 213-217.
  6. Whitelaw A et al.  Skin to skin contact for very low birthweight infants and their mothers.  Arch Dis Child 1988; 63: 1377-1380.
  7. Hofer M. Early relationships as regulators of infant physiology and behaviour.  Acta Paediatr 1994; 397: 47-56.
  8. Schanler R and Oh W.  Forified human milk improves the health of the premature infant.  Pediatr Res 1996; 40: 551A.
  1. Bergman N et al.  The ‘kangaroo method’ for treating low birthweight babies in a developing country.  Trop Doc 1994; 24: 57-60.
  2. Jones E and King C.  Feeding and nutrition in the preterm infant.  Elsevier Churchill Livingstone; 2005:106-107.
  3. Kolvisto M et al.  Blood glucose level in preterm infants after antenatal exposure to glucocorticord.  Acta Paediatr 2007; 96(5): 664-668.
  4. Mooncey S et al.  The effect of mother-infant skin-to-skin contact on plasma cortisol and β-endophin concentrations in preterm newborns.  Infant Behaviour and Development 1997; 20(4): 553-557.
  5. Hurst N et al.  Skin-to-skin holding in the neonatal intensive care unit influences maternal milk volume.  J Perinatol 1997; 17: 213-217.
  6. Whitelaw A et al.  Skin to skin contact for very low birthweight infants and their mothers.  Arch Dis Child 1988; 63: 1377-1380.
  7. Hofer M. Early relationships as regulators of infant physiology and behaviour.  Acta Paediatr 1994; 397: 47-56.
  8. Schanler R and Oh W.  Forified human milk improves the health of the premature infant.  Pediatr Res 1996; 40: 551A.

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