Immediate Kangaroo Mother Care for Sick Newborns: Quality Improvement Implementation and Feasibility Study

Area of Science:

• Neonatal care
• Pediatrics
• Maternal-infant health

Background:

• Separation of sick newborns from mothers is common in neonatal units.
• This practice disrupts early bonding and family-centered care.

Purpose of the Study:

• To implement immediate kangaroo mother care (KMC) for sick newborns from birth.
• To assess the safety and feasibility of early KMC.

Main Methods:

• Included preterm newborns (≥34 weeks), term newborns on noninvasive ventilation, and those with stable congenital anomalies.
• Newborns received 120 minutes of skin-to-skin care, preferably with the mother.
• Care continued during transfer to the destination unit.

Main Results:

• 60 newborns participated; median KMC duration was 120 minutes.
• 100% of KMC time was with the mother, even with respiratory support.
• No separations due to maternal issues, hypoglycemia, or temperature instability; no hypothermia observed.

Conclusions:

• Immediate kangaroo mother care (KMC) in the first 120 minutes is safe and feasible for late preterm or sick newborns.
• KMC supports continuous mother-infant contact, even with medical interventions.
• This practice can be integrated into neonatal units without adverse events.