Exploring the Perception and Practice of Kangaroo Mother Care (KMC) at Home and Its Effect on Growth Parameters of Low Birth Weight Babies Receiving Home Kangaroo Mother Care

Introduction Kangaroo mother care (KMC) is a multimodal stimulation therapy that satisfies principles of neurodevelopmental supportive care, and if continued at home, can increase the chances of intact survival and promote optimum growth. About 2.5 million and 23,091 newborns die every year due to low birth weight (LBW) across the world. For optimum implementation of home KMC, it is necessary to identify the enablers and barriers of home KMC, as well as the effectiveness of home KMC on LBW babies’ growth parameters. Aim Implementation of KMC at home. Methods A prospective cohort study included 180 mother-LBW baby dyads and KMC was started as soon as possible during the hospital stay. Data regarding KMC practice at home were recorded after discharge by weekly visits till 4 weeks and those who could not come for follow-up were interviewed by phone calls and encouraged to come for the next visit. Growth monitoring of babies was done and analyzed statistically (paired t -test). Results The overall weight gain, irrespective of gestation, was 25.59 g/day with an average KMC duration of 6.7 ± 2.02 h/day at home. Barriers documented were household chores (22.78%), lack of privacy (9.44%), baby crying in the KMC position (14.44%), lack of family support (0.56%), and fear of handling small babies (0.56%). Enablers were counseling by healthcare workers and KMC experience during hospital stay (98.33%), KMC experience by other mothers during neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) (2.77%), and family support (40%). Conclusion KMC at the community level is feasible with counseling of mothers and family members, encouraging enablers, and identifying and addressing barriers for the same. Hence, ensuring exclusive breastfeeding, optimal growth, and intact survival is possible by implementing KMC at home.