Kangaroo care on premature infant growth and maternal attachment and post-partum depression in South Korea

Abstract

After births, premature infants need a high level of medical treatments for their survivals in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). This separation deprives mothers of the chance to initiate an attachment process. Kangaroo care (KC) can be one of the ways to reunite mothers and their infants in the NICU and improve health outcomes. This study was conducted to investigate the effects of KC on both premature infants and their mothers. Ten sessions of 60-min KC for 3 weeks were practiced at a level III NICU at E university hospital. Infants' body weight, height and head circumference (HC), maternal attachment and depression were measured. As a result, premature infants in KC showed higher in their height and bigger in their HC than infants in control. Maternal attachment scores were higher among the KC mothers. The results supported the beneficial effects of KC on Korean premature infants and their mothers.