Kangaroo Care, Fathers, Adopted Children

You know how sometimes you are presented with information and all you can think about is how that would apply to a certain situation?  Anyway, I was thinking about a million things during Molly’s presentation today.  When I first learned about Kangaroo Care, I don’t think I ever heard of the term with the word “Mother” inserted in it.  I did see/hear it tonight, though, and I was trying to figure out why it was there.  I remember my video introduction to KC had a dad involved.  But a dad has no role in maternal-fetal attachment.  Also, it’s out there written in both ways.  I think it is important to include fathers as stakeholders as well since birth does not exist in a vacuum (if fathers are present in the picture, of course).  I wouldn’t want that dad from the video to feel left out in Kangaroo Care.

THEN my mind wandered to attachment with adopted children (someone I know= adopted to American family from S. American country, pre-term birth), maternal-fetal attachment, and Kangaroo Care.  Attachment is tricky in this case…with whom should the fetus/baby be attached to?  The mama that provides the physical environment in which the baby grows (womb mama)?  The mama that will raise the baby (home mama)?  Perhaps the right answer is the *medium* answer–both.  Reasons?  I can think of reasons for both, but I’d like to see/hear what y’all think.

~2 page case study below.  Father involved, but that’s not the main point.  I suspect this is an American case given the name of the journal, but I can’t be sure.  This sounds all gravy and such, but what about the child who is born in South America pre-term at 30 weeks?  These parents had the luxury of being 15 hours away and kind of being “on call” regarding the birth.  What if his parents who live in Miami can’t get there to South America as quickly as the family in the article did due to sheer distance, job logistics, etc.?  Delayed Kangaroo Care by adopted parents is probably better than no Kangaroo Care, but it would be interesting to see if there is a significant difference between delayed KC and ASAP KC (by either biological or adopted parents).  Also, would it be fair/ethical to ask the biological mother to provide KC to this baby that she has already decided to put up for adoption until adopted parents arrive?

KC can be very important for pre-term babies, critically ill babies, and adopted babies and maybe doubly so for pre-term adoption babies (triply for pre-term, critically ill, adopted?).

Kangaroo Care and Adopted

Parker, L. & Anderson, G. C.  (2002, July/August).  Kangaroo Care for Adoptive Parents and Their Critically Ill Preterm Infant.  American Journal of Maternal/Child Nursing 27(4), 230-232.

 

3 thoughts on “Kangaroo Care, Fathers, Adopted Children

  1. Hi! You bring up some really interesting points Chau! I want to start by saying that I absolutely agree with the importance of the father (assuming the father is involved with the mother and child/wants to participate) being involved with Kangaroo Care. While I know little about attachment in regards to the fathers role, I do know that fathers absolutely play an integral part in child development and I think it is very important that they be a stakeholder in the child’s growth and development. Thus, I think it is vital that dad’s have the opportunity to participate in kangaroo care for various reasons, but most importantly it allows the dad to bond with his child, provides support (and rest!) for the mom, and I think ultimately will contribute to a stronger relationship between the parents.

    Also, on the topic of adoption and kangaroo care, I think that your answer “medium” is great. As I mentioned in class, most of the research I’ve read reveals that when maternal-fetal attachment is strong(good) the mother is more likely to practice healthy behaviors during pregnancy – eating well, exercising, avoiding drugs, etc. So, in that regard I think it is beneficial for the “birth mom” to have a good attachment to her fetus. However, I also think that if the situation is such that the baby is given to the adoptive parents immediately after birth, that it is crucial for the adoptive mother (and father) to be able to be with (hold, feed, etc.) the infant as early as possible.

    On this same topic, I also thought it might be interesting to bring up the importance of just holding infants in general, especially babies in the NICU. There are many hospitals who now have “cuddling” programs where volunteers come simply to hold (cuddle) babies based on the idea that it if anyone holds the baby then the babies temperature, breathing, etc. will be better regulated. Here is a short video and article about a cuddling program that you all might find interesting!

    http://wabi.tv/2014/10/20/volunteer-baby-cuddlers/

  2. Molly- your presentation and your response has totally opened my eyes to the importance and therapeutic benefits of touch–any loving touch, from anyone. I can see that it is important in mother-child bonding, but clearly the cuddling program benefits three parties as well. The child benefits, the cuddler benefits (too cute and fun!), and the parents can benefit by getting a break or something. Cuddling almost sounds like being an aunt–all of the fun, but none of the long-term responsibility. 🙂 I think using volunteer cuddlers is smart. While NICU nurses know that holding, cuddling is important and helpful, they may not always have the time. This touch role can be filled by someone else so that the nurse can function at her maximum capacity in other areas (delegation to a volunteer). That’s really neat. Thank you for sharing!!!

  3. Well I have to say that I have loved reading you two chat back and forth on this topic and I can’t not add to it. I too was very oblivious to this whole kangaroo care, skin-to-skin, and just overall touch aspect of care for newborns–that is, until I started nursing school–and I have been shocked by how beneficial it has been for so many studies and for people I have met during clinical. During my maternity rotation on one of my days in labor and delivery, I was with a couple who was having a planned c-section. I basically spent the whole day with them in pre-op, surgery, and post-op and the father said nothing the whole time. When the baby was born, it was like the father woke up and never left that baby’s side. The mother became quite hypertensive after the c-section and was vomiting and fatigued for quite some time. The father held that baby skin-to-skin, inside his t-shirt for about 2-3 hours. It was amazing to see. I really thought at some point he was going to say he was tired or had to use the bathroom, but he never did. I eventually brought him some apple juice though.

    Anyway, I loved seeing this and love learning about the kangaroo care and other things that each partner can contribute to as equal parents to the child. Even though the mother labors and delivers the child, there is so much that the father can do as well. Let’s be honest, the child needs as much love and cuddling as it can get!

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