When one of their twins, born prematurely, was pronounced dead, its mother took the child in her arms. She began to talk to the baby, holding him skin to skin for two hours. You won’t believe what happened next!
The practice of holding a premature baby skin-to-skin is called kangaroo care. It first began in Columbia in the 1970s in response to high death rates in premature babies. It is often used when no incubators – or inadequately working incubators – are available. But it has also become common practice for all babies, because of its benefits.
The term kangaroo care comes from the kangaroo’s practice of keeping its baby – or joey – in its pouch. Kangaroos are marsupials. When they give birth, the babies are relatively undeveloped. So, they climb into the mother’s pouch and attach to her nipple to grow and continue to develop. This lasts about nine months. At that point the joey only leaves the pouch for short periods of time, returning to be nursed by the mother. The joey leaves the pouch for good after about a year and a half. Animals like wallabies, wombats and koalas are also marsupials and have similar pouches for their young.
Kangaroo care involves placing the newborn in an upright position skin-to-skin against the mother or father’s chest for several hours a day. What practitioners see during kangaroo care was a stabilization of breathing, heart rate and more. Because the baby is next to the parent’s chest, his or her chest stays warm, which helps the baby breathe better. Respiratory problems from inadequately developed lungs are a major complication in premature babies.
It was precisely in this type of environment that a miracle occurred for the mother, Kate, in this video. Even when doctors dismissed her initial words, she believed. And what was the reaction?? You’ll have to see!
We know a mother’s love is powerful!
