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  • Essay / Kangaroo Mother Care Case Study - 1619

    The aim of this research is to investigate the effects of Kangaroo Mother Care (KMC) on breastfeeding among mothers of very preterm and preterm infants. The study explored the relationship between the extent of KMC and three distinct variables: breastfeeding duration, quantity and mechanism. There was no theoretical framework in this study. Subjects included 300 mothers, including 103 who gave birth to very preterm infants (less than 32 weeks) and the remaining 197 who gave birth to preterm infants (between 32 and 36 weeks). This research obtained two sets of insights from the data; First, they tracked the number of skin-to-skin contacts each day during their hospital stay, and second, they tracked breastfeeding success after discharge. While the aim of the study was to follow two groups of mothers who were either diabetic, had premature infants or had low birth weight infants. Targeted measurement areas included total days spent in the hospital, breastfeeding success, NICU admission, and parent satisfaction. The researcher in this article states that this study was done because no other research has been done on kangaroo care related to the special population of premature or low birth weight infants. This study did not have a theoretical framework. Subjects included 214 mothers, of whom 107 used Kangaroo care and the remaining 107 used standard care. Affected infants had to either be in gestational week 34-36+6, have low birth weight or be born to diabetic mothers. Data collected regarding length of stay came from patient records. Breastfeeding success was collected from the primary care trust. Parents were also asked to complete an assessment on their experience of using Kangaroo care. Quantitative data were analyzed by placing them on a spreadsheet and then tested by Fisher's exact, Pearson's Chi-square, and Mann-Whitney tests. Qualitative data was analyzed using thematic analysis, which grouped common words in evaluative comments. The data results showed that the average length of stay decreased from 5 days to 4 days in the Kangaroo care group. The number of babies admitted to the NICU also decreased, from 8 to 5, but was found to be insignificant for the study. The data showed a 17% difference between the study group and the control group in breastfeeding success. The study group, which received Kangaroo care, showed that 72% of infants were breastfed. In contrast, the control group, which received standard care, showed 55%