Journal of Pregnancy and Neonatal Medicine

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Commentary - Journal of Pregnancy and Neonatal Medicine (2023) Volume 7, Issue 1

Kangaroo mother care and post-hospital discharge experiences of mothers.

Joseph Devlin*

Department of Gynaecology, University of Bordeaux, Bordeaux, France

*Corresponding Author:
Joseph Devlin
Department of Gynaecology
University of Bordeaux
Bordeaux, France
E-mail: Josephd@unib.fr

Received: 30-Dec-2022, Manuscript No. AAPNM-23-87718; Editor assigned: 02-Jan-2023, PreQC No. AAPNM-23-87718(PQ); Reviewed: 16-Jan-2023, QC No. AAPNM-23-87718; Revised: 18-Jan-2023, Manuscript No. AAPNM-23-87718(R); Published: 25-Jan-2023, DOI:10.35841/AAPNM-7.1.133

Citation: Devlin J. Kangaroo mother care and post-hospital discharge experiences of mothers. J Preg Neonatal Med. 2023;7(1):133

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The World Health Organization suggests kangaroo mother care as a high-impact but low-cost intervention that enhances young babies' survival and development in resourceconstrained situations. Early, ongoing, and sustained skinto- skin contact between a mother or other carer and a baby, exclusive breastfeeding, early discharge, and ongoing followup of the infant at home are all elements of KMC. Recent systematic evaluations have shown that KMC considerably reduces the risk of infant mortality when applied regularly. Reduced risk of infections, decreased chance of readmission, and improved weight gain were some additional noteworthy advantages of KMC. Positive emotions, less pain, greater breastmilk production, increased self-esteem and a sense of control over their circumstances, and parental role identity were all advantages for mothers and their families. KMC's affordability and safety have also been demonstrated.

The causes behind KMC's poor adoption are rather well known. The major obstacles mothers faced in low- and middle-income countries included a lack of assistance with implementing KMC, perceptions of unfavourable attitudes among health workers, and a lack of awareness of KMC, according to a systematic review on the barriers and enablers of KMC. Another issue identified was physical discomfort, particularly pain and exhaustion. Mothers who had to sleep upright for up to 24 hours at a time complained of backaches. The difficulties of implementing KMC in health facilities were highlighted by an observational study done in Uganda. These difficulties included a lack of space to implement KMC due to overcrowding, a lack of privacy, and a lack of infrastructure like seats for KMC [1].

As a result, some women had to perform KMC on themselves. During a second systematic evaluation, it was discovered that the facilities lacked a defined KMC area, inadequate KMC beds and seats, and other essentials like infant wraps. Although knowledge of the constraints and enablers of KMC within facilities has advanced, there is little study on the continuation of KMC postdischarge in settings with low resources, such as Uganda. Early discharge is an important KMC component, but it works best when KMC is continued at home. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate the factors that influence the continuation of KMC at home in rural Uganda after hospital release [2].

Support individuals were those who assisted the moms with KMC following delivery. These were relatives, including grandmothers, spouses, and brothers. The research assistants contacted them in person or over the phone using the mothers' provided phone number. Some mothers attended the group discussions with the support people, frequently those who had twins or triplets. In each of the six hospitals, nurses who oversaw the maternity or newborn care unit departments were considered health professionals. The informal "midwives" who provide traditional birth attendant services in the local communities often do so from their own houses. The research team learned about these from a variety of sources, including moms who had used them and VHTs. The VHT members are volunteer community health workers who are selected by their local communities and educated by the government to help community health services by delivering certain essential healthcare, such as treatment for malaria. The individuals we spoke with were affiliated with the study hospitals and came highly recommended by the medical professionals we dealt with. We chose the assistant DHO in each district because they oversee maternal and child health, which is something the DHOs oversee in the district [3].

The IDIs and KIs were carried out by a team of seven research assistants who were experienced in maternal and child health research as well as qualitative methodology. Three researchers who were skilled in qualitative research techniques, knowledgeable about the subject of the study, and previously employed in mother and child health research and programming conducted the group talks. Before the study began, the research assistants received training on the protocol, and the instruments were covered in both English and Lusoga, the local tongue most widely used in the study area. DK created interview instructions for each of the several stakeholder groups, which LF, PW, and ES then examined. These interview guides were informed by the literature and the study team's prior knowledge of the subject. Minor adjustments were done after pre-testing them. The guides contained inquiries about preterm/LBW baby care, knowledge of KMC, the application of KMC and its facilitators and barriers, acceptability of KMC, and suggestions [4]. All analysis sought to identify recurrent patterns and outliers. Comparison of the findings between respondents, as well as between the various stakeholder groups and data collection methodologies, for areas of agreement and disagreement, improved triangulation. The study team members discussed emerging themes to determine their underlying significance. We looked at the discussion topics for places where there was more agreement [5].

In order to investigate KMC adoption and sustainability in eastern Uganda, we employed a cutting-edge strategy to involve several stakeholder groups. While global campaigning for wider adoption and scale-up of KMC continues, we must be aware of additional elements that contribute to its effectiveness in addition to the medical procedure and the mother's awareness. We also discussed the necessary auxiliary elements for a community-based KMC practise to be successful as well as the innovations put forth by locals themselves.

References

  1. Hailegebriel TD, Bergh A-M, Zaka N, et al. Improving the implementation of kangaroo mother care. Bull World Health Organ. 2021;99:69.

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  2. Watkins HC, Morgan MC, Nambuya H, et al. Observation study showed that the continuity of skin-to-skin contact with low-birthweight infants in Uganda was suboptimal. Acta Paediatr Int J Paediatr. 2018;107:1541–7.

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  3. Lawn JE, Davidge R, Paul VK, et al. Born too soon: care for the pre-term baby. Reprod Health. 2013;10:S5.

    4. Google Scholar, Cross Ref

  4. Nimbalkar S, Sadhwani N. Implementation of kangaroo mother care — challenges and solutions. Indian Pediatr. 2019;56:725–9.

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  5. Smith ER, Bergelson I, Constantian S, et al. Barriers and enablers of health system adoption of kangaroo mother care: a systematic review of caregiver perspectives. BMC Pediatr. 2017;17:35.

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