Kangaroo Care

Kate has had 2 good days.  She has hardly had any tests done on her.  The IV's were taken out yesterday.  Kate has been able to stay on the ten breaths per minute, but her lungs haven't been expanding as much as they should have been.  Her Peep was turned up from a 7 to an 8 yesterday and then to a 9 today.  It definitely helped to turn her up.  She did so much better today when I held her than she did the last two nights being held.  I was able to hold her for over an hour without any problems! 
Josh held her for the first time yesterday!  Such a sweet moment that melted my heart!  He was so nervous at first, but she snuggled right in and did great with him for about 30 min.  Then she became exhausted and her oxygen saturation dropped too much.  She needed to be put back in her incubator. 

When we hold Kate, we do what's called skin-to-skin.  It has a lot of benefits for preemie babies.  Kangaroo Care is another name for skin-to-skin holding.  I was a bit worried that Josh might not be able to hold Kate this way, but the nurse assured me that most fathers hold skin-to-fur instead and the babies do great:)  LOL.  The chest hair doesn't bother them. 

Kangaroo Care benefits:  There are several good medical reasons why it is beneficial, but perhaps the simple answer is that babies like it.  They are comfortable in the warmth, peace, and security of being held close to their mother or father.  Likely it reminds them of the safety of the uterus they left too early.  Their health improves tremendously.  There has been an immense amount of international research backing up the benefits of kangaroo care.  Premature babies sleep better and breathe more easily when being held this way.  They cry and fidget less and, being calmer, they grow better.  Kangaroo'd babies have fewer apnea (stop-breathing) and bradycardia (slowed heartbeat) attacks, and fewer body-temperature fluctuations-they stay warm, thanks to the warmth of their parents body.  They develop fewer infections, gain weight quicker, leave their incubators sooner,  and go home earlier!