The benefits and importance of skin-to-skin contact between mother and baby was again emphasised on International Kangaroo Mother Care (KMC) Awareness Day marked on Sunday 15 May.
Kangaroo mother care (KMC) refers to the practice of providing continuous skin-to-skin contact between mother and baby, exclusive breastmilk feeding, and early discharge from hospital.
KMC is an especially important intervention for babies that are born prematurely.
“What many people don’t know is that KMC also facilitates the process of healing for babies experiencing health challenges here at our hospital,” explains Sr Zeenat Dalwai, Operational Manager in charge of the KMC ward at the Mowbray Maternity Hospital.
“Inside this ward there are babies with different issues, it’s not just premature babies. We have had infants that are very sick, or babies that have had feeding issues. We are very blessed at our hospital to have the big KMC ward.”
According to Dalwai, the main aim of the KMC ward is to facilitate the opportunity for a mom to spend that very precious time with her baby.
“This is a space where mom and baby can have the space and time that was lost when baby was sick, and being treated in ICU (Intensive Care Unit) or high care for their illness. Skin-to-skin is such a simple yet effective method of bonding, and of healing between mom and baby.”
As part of the Western Cape Government Health and wellness Mother Baby Friendly Initiative policy, all babies must be placed in the skin-to -skin position immediately after birth and should remain in that position for at least an hour.
“Besides being good for bonding, it also provides warmth to the baby, regulates the baby’s heartbeat, and enhances lactation. Babies have direct access to the breast and can feed at any time,” says Dalwai.
Rosine Umuhoza, a 26-year-old mother from Mowbray, has spent the past two months at the hospital and shares how one week of KMC has made such a difference to her little baby girl, Gianna. She shares she never thought she would be in hospital this long.
“I had no issues with my pregnancy, no high blood pressure, no sugar. After giving birth everything was fine. I had an emergency c-section as I had been in labour for quite a while. Then about nine minutes after her birth, while holding her, she seemed to have ‘fainted’ and lost consciousness, turning blue.”
Umuhoza describes how the nurse took the baby from her chest and did CPR. Gianna was revived, intubated, and admitted to ICU. She remained there for nine days with little improvement.
“She had seizures and the staff did so well and tried everything. We were counselled and told that there is a possibility she may not make it. On Saturday 19 March we were transferred to Red Cross War Memorial Children’s hospital.”
She says when they got there the doctors were worried and each time they tried to remove the intubation tubes Gianna would stop breathing.
“We saw speech therapists and physiotherapists. Little by little things improved and she was placed on oxygen.”
However, Gianna still had problems feeding and so they returned to Mowbray Maternity Hospital so that she could receive continuous care while healing.
Gianna was placed in the High Care Ward and for several days was nourished via a feeding tube, which she adapted to well. Slowly but surely she started gaining weight and now she is a healthy 3.8 kg.
“Day by day, I would sit with her in High Care and preferred staying with her rather than go back to my ward. I spoke to the doctors and they agreed that we could be admitted to the KMC ward where I could spend more one-on-one time with her, skin to skin,” says Rosine.
Gianna is now drinking out of feeding cup as it seems to be easier for her and on Sunday she was discharged.
Umuhoza agrees that the practice of KMC has helped her tremendously.
“It has been so amazing to be here, I was exhausted and by being in this ward I can see the improvement. I can see when she is hungry, I can now feed her and we have created a better bond,” the mom says.
