Kangaroo Mother Care

by Maja Zilih

Kangaroo Mother Care (KMC) is a method of care for babies, which advocates the importance of providing support to the mother-newborn baby dyad without separating them. The separation of the baby from the mother - albeit so widely practiced in the hospitals all over the world - has a strong negative impact on the physical and emotional health of the baby, and on her natural bonding process with the mother.

KMC is based on expert study research and a number of experiments conducted primarily on prematurely born babies. Among other, they provided evidence on the high level of stress that babies experience when taken away from their mother upon birth. This triggered the so-called protest-despair response. By contrast, physiologically normal levels of heart beat, oxygenation and so on, were detected when the baby was placed on her mother’s chest or abdomen.

It is very important that we understand babies to alleviate their suffering in this vulnerable phase of their lives. Furthermore, by caring for babies we care for the future society. All the more psychological schools support the view that the trauma we go through in early life is likely to have an impact on our future, in terms of shaping our emotional tendencies and reactions. Loving and understanding environment sets ground for the child to flourish into a healthy adult. Violent environment generates tendency for violence in latter life (though not implying that one inevitably equals the other).

The old notion that babies cannot truly suffer has fortunately been overcome in the medical field. Without having a developed capacity to think and rationalise, babies cannot explain to themselves that the separation is just a part of the hospital procedure. Neither do they understand the notion of time in order to comfort themselves in hope of an eventual reunion with their mother. Without thinking and without time, all they have are feelings and the dimension of right now. And when now is the abandonment in the “no-mother” state – that can be more horrifying that the death itself.

The notion that babies will “forget” the mistreatment is also finally being rejected by many schools. It is being more widely accepted that it is not only the brain which stores memories (in the form of a thought and feeling) but that the body remembers too. In adulthood, memories can be evoked from the time of being a newborn or even a foetus!

Going through the KMC webpage, and perhaps seeing videos “Restoring the Original Paradigm” and “Rediscover the Natural Way”, may contribute to the understanding that some things are better done the way the nature intended it. Reference to KMC is placed here with the hope to serve as a motivation for one to challenge the traditional, industry-like giving birth, and to initiate a search for new ways that will protect the babies from unnecessary harm, and give them a friendly and loving welcome to the world.

http://www.kangaroomothercare.com

See also: Documentary "Kangaroo Mothers - Colombia" on Youtube

Kangaroo Photos:

http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/gray-kangaroo.html

http://www.saveourkangaroos.com/images/kangaroo.jpg