Should Fathers Also Do Kangaroo Care?
Akan Yaman1, İbrahim Kandemir1, Eren Özek2
1Department of Pediatrics, Division of Neonatalogy, Gungoren Hospital, Gungoren, İstanbul.
American Journal of Perinatology
|May 13, 2022
Summary
Maternal and paternal Kangaroo care (KC) similarly impacts infant vital signs. Both parents significantly increase infant cerebral oxygenation (rSO2), with slightly higher values favoring mothers, though differences are clinically insignificant.
Area of Science:
- Neonatal care
- Developmental pediatrics
- Infant physiology
Background:
- Kangaroo care (KC) is a method of skin-to-skin contact beneficial for preterm infants.
- Limited research compares the effects of maternal versus paternal KC on infant physiological parameters.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare the effects of maternal KC and paternal KC on vital signs and cerebral oxygen saturation (rSO2) in preterm infants.
Main Methods:
- A randomized study involving 35 preterm infants (≤32 weeks gestation).
- Measured infant body temperature, respiratory rate, heart rate, SpO2, and rSO2 during three periods: pre-KC, during KC (mother or father), and post-KC.
- Compared parameters within and between maternal and paternal KC groups.
Main Results:
- No significant differences in vital signs were observed during the three periods, within or between parent groups.
- Cerebral oxygen saturation (rSO2) significantly increased during and after KC for both mothers and fathers (p <0.001).
- rSO2 values were significantly higher during and after maternal KC compared to paternal KC (p=0.015 and p=0.046, respectively).
Conclusions:
- While maternal KC showed slightly higher rSO2 values, the differences are clinically negligible.
- The active participation of fathers in KC should be encouraged in Neonatal Intensive Care Units (NICUs).
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