Kangaroo care, or skin-to-skin contact, offers widespread benefits for infants, even those in critical condition. These range from enhanced immunity, improved vital signs, better oxygenation and temperature regulation. Skin-to-skin contact can also benefit the caregiver, improving breastfeeding outcomes, supporting maternal mental health and promoting parent-infant bonding.
The Kangaroo-a-thon celebrates kangaroo care and recognizes the importance of its facilitation within NICUs across the country. Its intention is to encourage more frequent and longer skin-to-skin sessions, empower families in the NICU and standardize and elevate the use of kangaroo care as a best practice. Texas Children’s also uses this as an opportunity to educate team members to engage their patients to utilize skin-to-skin, even if it seems like it might not be possible for complex, medically fragile infants.
Our Neurodevelopmental Care Committee (NDCC) took on the coordination of this event. Co-chairs Jacqueline Bradley and Asya Ashraf raised funds and collected donations for parent and team member prizes. The team decorated, created T-shirts for awareness and came up with a contest to bolster participation. It was a great success with high participation from both families and team members.
This dedication to going above and beyond the standard of care is at the heart of what makes Texas Children’s special. Thank you to the NDCC team for coordinating an event in support of our tiniest fighters and their families.