Kangaroo mother care: A practical guide - Softcover

Some 20 million low-birth-weight babies are born each year, because of either preterm birth or impaired prenatal growth, mostly in less developed countries. For many small preterm infants, receiving prolonged medical care is important. However, kangaroo mother care is an effective way to meet baby's needs for warmth, breastfeeding, protection from infection, stimulation, safety and love. Kangaroo mother care is care of preterm infants carried skin-to-skin with the mother. It is a powerful, easy-to-use method to promote the health and well-being of infants. This document describes the kangaroo mother care method for care of stable preterm/low-birth-weight infants who need thermal protection, adequate feeding, frequent observation, and protection from infection. It provides guidance on how to organize services at the referral hospital and on what is needed to introduce and carry out kangaroo mother care, focusing on settings where resources are limited.

World Health Organization is a Specialized Agency of the United Nations, charged to act as the world's directing and coordinating authority on questions of human health. It is responsible for providing leadership on global health matters, shaping the health research agenda, setting norms and standards, articulating evidence-based policy options, providing technical support to countries and monitoring and assessing health trends.