The Benefits of Kangaroo Mother Care (KMC)
What is Kangaroo Mother Care?
The birth of a premature baby is often a stressful moment for parents. Babies born prematurely require special care to ensure optimal growth and development. dr. Lucia Nauli Simbolon, Sp.A, M.sc. a pediatric specialist at RSAB Harapan Kita , often called Dr. Luna, explains that premature babies have underdeveloped organs, including their lungs, heart, brain, and immune system. They are highly vulnerable to temperature changes and infections. One effective care method is Kangaroo Mother Care (KMC).
Kangaroo Mother Care is an increasingly popular method for caring for premature babies. Dr. Luna explains that KMC involves placing the baby, especially a premature one, skin-to-skin on the parent’s chest. The baby wears only a diaper and a hat, while the parent wears only the bottom half of their clothing. This direct skin contact between the baby and parent has numerous incredible benefits.
KMC is typically performed once the premature baby is stable and can breathe well without medical assistance. Doctors will provide clear instructions on how to perform KMC correctly.
“Once the baby is healthy and actively moving, KMC can be done. It’s skin-to-skin contact—the parent is bare-chested, and the baby wears only a diaper and a hat. The baby is placed skin-to-skin on the parent’s chest, offering many benefits,” said Dr. Luna. skin to skin contact di dada ayah/ibu sehingga banyak manfaatnya” kata dr. Luna
Kangaroo Mother Care is a highly effective method for premature babies. By providing warmth, security, and optimal nutrition, KMC helps premature babies grow and develop well.
A Myriad of Benefits of Kangaroo Mother Care for Your Little One
dr. Luna explains in detail the incredible benefits of KMC. In addition to keeping the baby warm, this method offers several other equally important advantages.
First: Strengthening Emotional Bonds, Direct skin contact between the baby and parent during KMC is highly effective in building a strong emotional bond. This bond positively impacts the emotional and psychological development of both the parent and baby.
Second: Increasing Breast Milk Production, When the baby suckles at the mother’s breast, the mother’s body responds by producing more breast milk. Additionally, close skin contact triggers the release of oxytocin, a hormone crucial for milk production.
“Skin-to-skin contact is very helpful. Another advantage is that breastfeeding becomes longer and more abundant because of the bonding between mother and child. When the bond strengthens, the mother feels more confident, and her milk supply increases,” explained dr. Luna.
Third: Boosting the Baby’s Immune System. The mother’s skin contains natural bacteria that transfer to the baby during KMC. These good bacteria help build the baby’s immune system.
“During skin-to-skin contact, the baby is exposed to the mother’s skin, which contains natural bacteria. This stimulates the baby’s immune system,” said dr. Luna.
Finally; Easy to Implement. Parents can practice KMC at home with guidance from healthcare professionals.
