IMPACT OF EARLY KANGAROO MOTHER CARE ON WEIGHT GAIN AND HOSPITAL STAY IN PRETERM INFANTS – A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL

The young infants are more likely to experience failure in growth and an extended stay in a hospital because their physiological systems are immature. Kangaroo Mother Care (KMC), or skin-to-skin contact between the infant and the mother, has been demonstrated to enhance results in preterm infants and help them grow and stay healthy. Objectives:To determine the effects of the early Kangaroo Mother Care on weight gain and length of stay in the hospital among preterm infants in comparison to the normal care. Methods: The study Conducted at the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) of Khyber Teaching Hospital, Peshawar,from jan to june-2022 in the form of a randomized controlled trial. One hundred and fifty preterm babies were then selected and randomly divided into early Kangaroo mother care group and conventional care group. The increase in weight and the duration of hospitalization were measured and compared. Results: There was a great improvement in infant weight gain in the early Kangaroo Mother Care group (mean weight gain: 15.2 g/day) than in the conventional care group (mean weight gain: 10.1 g/day, p < 0.001). Also, the hospitalization period in the KMC group (12.4 days) was considerably less than in the conventional care group (16.8 days, p < 0.01). Conclusion:  Early Kangaroo Mother Care is an effective and viable practice in the neonatal care since it enhances weight gain and minimizes the length of stay in preterm infants.   Keywords: