What is kangaroo care? How is it used to foster development in preterm newborns?

What will be an ideal response?

Kangaroo care involves placing the infant in a vertical position between the mother's breasts or next to the father's chest (under the parent's clothing), so the parent's body functions as a human incubator. In developing countries where hospitalization is not always possible, skin-to-skin contact is the most readily available intervention for promoting the survival and recovery of preterm babies. Because of its many physical and psychological benefits, the technique is often used in Western nations as a supplement to hospital intensive care. Kangaroo skin-to-skin contact fosters improved oxygenation of the baby's body, temperature regulation, sleep, breastfeeding, alertness, and infant survival. In addition, the kangaroo position provides the baby with gentle stimulation of all sensory modalities: hearing (through the parent's voice), smell (through proximity to the parent's body), touch (through skin-to-skin contact), and visual (through the upright position). Mothers and fathers practicing kangaroo care feel more confident about caring for their fragile babies and interact more sensitively and affectionately with them. It offers fathers a unique opportunity to increase their involvement in caring for the preterm newborn. Because of its diverse benefits, more than 80 percent of U.S. hospitals now offer kangaroo care to preterm newborns.