Sitting restlessly, watching her child fight for his/her life
from inside the incubator case. Wires are hooked up to machines and
tubes surround this helpless baby body. The expression on her face is
one of confusion and sorrow because of what her newborn has to endure.
She knows there is nothing she can do for her child, she's disappointed
in herself because she can't fulfill her duties as a mother.
However,
incubator care in conjunction with an alternative method such as
Kangaroo Mother Care proves to be the best technique in ensuring the
best possible outcome for a premature infant's health and future.
Mothers
of preemies are more susceptible to depression because of the
endangered health of their babies. Because of hormonal changes in the
body and elevated emotions are high, 10 to 15 percent of women are
diagnosed with Post Natal depression.
About 12.8 percent of all
births are premature in the United States. These babies are generally
born anywhere from 28-36 weeks into gestation. Premature babies aren't
able to thrive in this world because of severe birth defects such as
breathing problems, heart conditions, anemia and hemorrhaging. These
tiny babies have to overcome much in order to live. This is why the
incubator was established to mimic being inside the mother's womb. The
air and temperature inside the incubator is monitored to insure that the
baby is at the proper environment in order to thrive. Since the baby is
not well enough to breast feed from it's mother special tubes need to
be attached to the baby to allow for essential nutrients to flow
throughout their bodies. These nutrients will help the babies heart and
lungs grow as well as improve vital antioxidants in order for them to
fight off future infections.
The first incubator was built by a
man named Alexandre Lion in 1891. The Lion incubator was kept warm by a
water boiler mounted on the outer wall of the incubator. Fresh air would
travel into the incubator by an electric fan that was blowing through a
large pipe on the outside of the building. The air was then moistened
by a layer of absorbent wool. This air then passed over the hot coils of
the water heater. The process allowed premature babies to live in a
steady warm temperature while in the incubator. This revolutionary
medical device did not make its debut in a hospital or doctor's office.
Instead incubators were taken to the TransMississippi and International
Exposition where they were first put on display by a man named Martin
Couney. He had originally seen Alexandre Lion trying to promote the
incubators in Berlin when it had gained much popularity. Martin Couney
decided to bring his show to America. He used incubators to attract
large crowds that were curious and entertained by viewing the small
babies that were in the see-through glass boxes. Couney charged
admission for people to see the babies that were being taken care of.
Even though the show was in a fair, doctors and nurses were working to
take care of each and every baby. Before, the incubator was invented
mothers would give birth at home and if the baby was born prematurely,
the doctor would do nothing to save the child. Doctor's did not feel any
responsibility to help the baby because it was too weak to live. The
survival rate for premature babies in the 1900s was less than 15%. With
the incubator exhibits at the famous World Fair or the Couney's Park
Luna Exhibit at Coney Island, survival rates for premature infants
jumped to about 85%. It was not until the 1940s that hospitals began to
use incubators to help premature babies.
In 1978, there were
little to no incubators in Colombia so Dr. Rey and Dr. Martinez had to
start a new kind of care called Kangaroo Mother Care. Infection was
spreading throughout preterm infants and the doctors had to find a way
to keep the babies warm and protected from infection. The doctors
decided to try to use a mother's body as an incubator just like how a
kangaroo keeps her baby in her pouch. They felt that technology could
not replace a mother. Incubators could be used to support and help
premature babies, but not replace a mother and her touch. In the early
1980's UNICEF noticed what the doctors in Colombia were doing and
appraised the effect that Kangaroo Mother Care was hands on for
premature infants. UNICEF is a strong supporter of breast feeding babies
and with Kangaroo Mother Care this action is strongly encouraged.
Because, UNICEF recognized the efforts of the Dr. Rey and Dr. Martinez
in Colombia, this practice slowly spread to third-world countries such
as Africa, Vietnam and Brazil. In fact, this type of care for premature
infants has become so useful that it has been paired hand in hand with
Incubator care. This type of care is still relatively new and
experiments are still being done to explore the full effects of skin to
skin care between mother and baby.
Mothers who give birth to
healthy full-term infants are able to feel the effects of the "golden
moment". This special moment happens because the mother releases a
hormone from her body called oxytocin, which induces bliss and relief.
This feel-good drug does not only affect the mother but also the baby
(these effects can also be felt during an orgasm). The drug causes a
love-at-first sight moment and can be critical to a mother and baby
bonding. This moment is not essential to bond with your baby, but it is a
definite plus with the mother and baby's relationship. These released
hormones are powerful and both mother and baby are attracted to each
other chemically. The hormones also help the baby "sniff" out the
mother's nipple to begin breast-feeding for the first time. Pediatrics
recommend skin-to-skin contact for these crucial baby moments. If, these
moments are robbed by hospital policy or the baby is taken away to be
cleaned do not worry. There will be many other chances to bond with your
newborn baby. The most important information to know about bonding with
your baby is quality time, not the quantity of time. Babies are most
comfortable with the scent of their mothers, also the mother's breast
milk tends to soothe the baby and reduce his/her stress.
Depending
on the mother, the anesthesia (epidural) that is administered in
cesarean section may cause her to be drowsy. In this sleepy state she is
most likely not able to care for her baby properly. Although this may
be disappointing for the mother, this does not mean that the premature
baby needs to be taken to the NICU. According to a study by
Christensson, Fagerberg, Erlandsson and Dsilna, fathers can step in and
take an important role in the development and bonding with the baby. The
study was carefully done with 29 families. Fourteen families would wrap
a baby and place it in a cot with their father beside them, the other
15 families would have the baby naked and placed on their father's
chest. The father's in the cot group were not able to pick up their
child at all. The scientists would both observe the actions of each
group by how much infants cry by attaching a microphone close to their
mouths. The results were that the babies in the skin-to-skin group were
significantly less than babies that were kept in a cot. The skin-to-skin
group had a mean score of 13.4 seconds per 5-minute period while the
cot group had 33.4 seconds per 5-minute period. The cot group cried less
as time passed but the skin-to-skin group decreased rapidly after being
put skin-to-skin with their fathers, within the first 15 minutes. Also,
skin-to-skin contact showed infants in a drowsy state within 60 minutes
of contact with their father while the cot group only achieved this
state with 110 minutes.
This type of care is recommended for the care of
preterm infants when the mother is not present. During the separation
of mother and baby the father should be considered the primary
caregiver.
Premature infants have the hardest time trying to adapt
to the outside world. Their immune systems are weak and they are not
strong enough to fend off infections and temperature changes. Also, the
premature baby is not as developed. They exhibit signs of lower
cognitive and motor skills. This can cause mothers to have problems
bonding with their child. Incubators can make social interaction with
their children even more difficult. Kangaroo Mother Care is helpful in
this instance to aid in the bonding and health of a premature baby. The
simple touch of a mother and baby will stimulate growth and development
of the infant's brain and bodies. This important touch has a high
possibility with breast feeding your infant because of the skin to skin
contact. The more time a mother can have to hold her baby and gaze into
his or her eyes will help her feel less depressed and she will perceive
her infant as less abnormal. Women who tend to their child using
Kangaroo Mother Care were more able to talk about their feelings,
positive or negative. Kangaroo Mothers shared their strong emotions with
their care givers and support groups. Premature mothers had feelings of
great disappointments and loss of a normal pregnancy. Also, guilt over
their child's stressful and painful life so far. These emotions slowly
started to fade as Kangaroo Mother Care was administered and mother and
baby began to acquaint themselves. Because, mother and infant begin to
build a strong relationship, mothers have increased self esteem and more
joy. They are fully confident in taking their infant home and caring
for them.
Scientists did a study to compare Kangaroo Mother Care
against incubator care for thermal regulation. Hypothermia is common in
low birth weight infants. Premature babies use half of all their energy
trying to maintain body temperature. This takes a toll on premature
babies because they don't have enough energy to fend off infection and
support body development. KMC has shown to improve blood oxygenation,
lower infection rates. The babies cry less and are alert for a longer
period of time.
This also leads mothers to breast feed for a longer
period of time and mothers to stay in the hospital for a shorter period
of time. The study was done in Nigeria from May to July 2001. Thirteen
infants were tested in this experiment. Because this study was done in a
third-world country the results will be even more effective in
first-world situations. Low body weight infants were observed to have
fewer episodes in KMC than in incubator care. Some cases of hyperthermia
were documented for babies of Kangaroo Mother Care. Hyperthermia is
when the body temperature becomes too high and above the norm. Because
the incubators were in a third-world country the electricity would shut
off and babies temperature will become irregular. Kangaroo Mother Care
is better for third-world mothers because they are able to regulate
their babies' body temperatures more easily.
The last key to a
successful Kangaroo Mother Care treatment is full support from the close
family. Both mother and father should participate in the care for their
own infant and build their relationship with their newborn together.
The transition from hospital to home can be a tough one. There are no
nurses to take care of you and doctors to constantly monitor you
throughout the day. Many mothers of premature infants may see this as a
daunting task but thankfully Kangaroo Mother Care prepares mother and
father exactly for this moment. Kangaroo Mother Care should empower them
with confidence that they can take care of and raise their child even
though he or she was born premature.
In 2008, a group of
researching scientist wanted to test out the hypothesis that Kangaroo
Mother Care creates a climate in the family, which enhances infants'
performance on the developmental quotient scale. They used the HOME
(Home Observation for Measurement of the Environment) test in
determining whether or not Kangaroo Care mothers create a better overall
environment for the premature baby then a traditional care mom whose
baby was treated in an incubator. The father's involvement in the
raising of his premature infant greatly affected the home environment of
the baby.
The information was gather by an interview composed of 45 yes
or no questions. Of the 45 questions, 18 of the questions can be
answered by simple observation and the other 27 require an interview.
The results of the interviews and observations suggested that Kangaroo
Families (mean =.28) compared to Traditional Care families (mean = -.51)
provided a more developmentally oriented caregiving environment.
Kangaroo Families are also more open and welcoming into their home
opposed to the traditional care group. High father involvement had a
huge positive impact in the family atmosphere. When fathers are more
involved the families are more stimulating and open to neighbors and
mothers have more positive interactions with her infant. There was a
strong association between HOME scores and the infants' developmental
quotient, indicating that infants benefit more from a positive home
environment. This study promotes the idea that both parents should take a
part in Kangaroo Mother Care for the full effects to take place in
their premature infant. Mother and Father will gain strong bonds with
their premature baby by continuously providing care and support for each
other and their child.
Kangaroo Mother Care consists of three key
components the kangaroo position, breast feeding and family support.
The first key to help develop a premature baby after birth is to
position the baby on the mother's chest if the infant is healthy enough.
This should mimic the same body-temperature regulation as an incubator.
This skin-to-skin contact will allow the mother to realize that she is
able to take care of the premature baby despite the child's size. The
second key is breast feeding and the importance of touch. This component
is important to stabilize the babies health and start a special bond
between both parents and infant. Kangaroo Mother Care allows parents to
feel that they are no longer helpless to their premature infant's
situation. They can now feel responsible and the connection between
infant and parents are now stronger. This special closeness between
mother and baby will allow the mother to heal psychologically but also
help regulate the baby's temperature and heart rate. Breast feeding has
also been shown to improve neurological development and IQ. The final
and most important key to the long-term development of a premature
infant is family support.
This key is essential for both mother and
infant. The father's role in family support is significant to the
overall home environment. Mother's become more receptive and aware of
the infant. With both parents working in unison with one another to
promote the health of the premature infant the family environment will
become more stimulating and positive. A strong home environment will
cause the premature infant to grow and mature faster than traditional
care infants.
Kangaroo Mother Care can be used in a variety of
different scenarios. The lowest level of care that KMC can be
administered is to setting with little to no neonatal care for the
premature infant. This environment may be a birth that has taken place
at home or in a country where there are little to no incubators.
Kangaroo Mother Care can also be applied in middle to low income
countries. The hospitals in these countries may only have a limited
amount of incubators for premature infants.
Therefore, with no space
left infants will need to be taken care of by a human incubator, their
mother. In high-income countries where access to numerous amount of
incubators are readily available Kangaroo Mother Care is not needed
because of an insufficiency but to establish a bond between mother and
infant; also to encourage breast feeding. Premature babies are able to
be quickly stabilized in an incubator and then taken out to reunite with
it's mother. This moment will allow mothers and infants a time to lower
their stress levels and bond on a deeper level. The quicker a premature
infant can be returned back to their mother, the more of a bond they
can establish before they are discharged home.
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