Kangaroo mother care therapy saves newborn's life in Chhattisgarh

The newborn was given 10 to 14 hours of Kangaroo mother care therapy every day. Coupled with help from the doctors, nurses, and relatives of the sick child, the Kangaroo mother care therapy facilitated a speedy recovery.

Dantewada (Chhattisgarh):Kangaroo mother care therapy did wonders for a premature newborn who was undergoing treatment at the Special Neo-natal Care Unit (SNCU) of the district hospital in the Dantewada area of Chhattisgarh. This rapidly emerging therapy, which involves skin-to-skin contact between the mother and the baby while breastfeeding, helped the child recuperate from illness in 70 days.

On October 31, 2022, a woman named Santo gave birth to two twins at the Dantewada District Hospital. But the twins were premature, underweight babies. The first child weighing 930 grams, died soon after birth. Whereas the second newborn, who weighed just 1085 grams, survived but was in critical condition.

Taking into consideration his medical condition, the child was immediately shifted to the Special Neo-natal Care Unit of the Dantewada district hospital. Acute weakness of the child was also causing problems in breastfeeding. Besides, the newborn was also facing breathing problems. A few days later, the child was diagnosed with dengue and his platelet count also decreased drastically. That is when the doctors decided to send it to the SNCU unit, informed Dantewada SNCU's pediatrician Dr. Rajesh Dhruv.

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"After a lapse of 14 days of the treatment, the child was diagnosed with dengue and his platelet count had decreased drastically. The child was therefore referred to SNCU of the Jagdalpur Medical College and Hospital for advanced treatment. On November 24, 2022, the newborn was again brought to the Dantewada Hospital's SNCU. The weight of the child had gone down to 965 grams," Dr. Rajesh Dhruv said.

The newborn was given 10 to 14 hours of Kangaroo mother care therapy every day. Coupled with help from the doctors, nurses, and relatives of the sick child, the Kangaroo mother care therapy facilitated a speedy recovery. As per the requirement of this therapy, the mother held her child close to her breast for several hours. Mother's physical contact helps the child to recover.