Loma Linda University Health’s neonatal intensive care unit participated in Kangaroo-a-thon, a worldwide challenge to promote Kangaroo Care, a method known as skin-to-skin contact.
“Moms are less likely to have postpartum depression, stress, and anxiety. It helps with the attachment and bonding between parent and their premature newborn which is a big goal of ours because it can be very challenging for a parent to bond with their baby when they’ve got all kinds of lines and tubes and they’re so tiny. Sometimes in the NICU, parents feel like a spectator watching all these other people take care of their baby, so this is one thing that they can do, and only they can do,” said Stacey Belliard, a pediatric and neonatal physical therapist at LLU Children’s Hospital.
This practice of placing a newborn on the bare chest of the baby’s parent is a vital aspect of neonatal care, fostering a strong bond between parents and their babies while offering numerous benefits for the little ones.