When a baby is born prematurely or with medical problems that require intensive care, bonding between the baby and parents can be interrupted.

To help you bond with your baby, the NICU staff teaches a method of cuddling called Kangaroo Care - a way of holding your baby to provide skin-to-skin contact. Kangaroo Care has been practiced in Europe since the early 1980s and is now being used in the U.S. as well.

With Kangaroo Care, a parent holds the baby in an upright position on his or her chest. The baby is dressed only in a diaper to allow skin-to-skin contact. The parent then wraps his or her shirt around the baby to keep the baby warm.

This simple method of holding allows parents to be in touch with their baby by increasing the parents' comfort level and decreasing their anxiety, which promotes bonding. Many breastfeeding mothers report they produce more milk after practicing Kangaroo Care. Babies who receive this method of cuddling and touching benefit by the increased nurturing.

The NICU staff provides individualized instruction on Kangaroo Care to interested parents. If you would like more information, please ask your baby's nurse. A parent education video is also available.

© 2008 St. John's Mercy Health Care
615 S. New Ballas Rd., St. Louis, Missouri, 63141