Ode to Kangaroo Care

"Kangaroo Care means holding your baby skin-to-skin on your chest."

Chances are if you have never spent time in a NICU, you have no idea what Kangaroo Care means.

Chances are if you have spent time in a NICU, some of your favorite moments happened during Kangaroo Care.

Kangaroo Care means holding your baby skin-to-skin on your chest. It is the way many NICU parents spend hours of their day. What is so amazing about this special therapy, is it not only promotes bonding, it actually helps regulate the baby’s body temperature and breathing. I found Kangaroo Care so rewarding because it was a way for my body, which had failed to keep my baby safe on the inside, to start to heal my baby on the outside. A true exercise in redemption.

One of my favorite memories of the 65 long days that my preemies spent in the NICU happened during Kangaroo Care. About 2 weeks after my 28 weekers were born, I was finally able to hold them both together. A lovely reunion for two babies that missed snuggling each other. It was no easy feat to get two preemies comfortable on my chest with all of their leads and wires. A team of nurses placed one baby and then the next, situating them just so under a layer of blankets. And then, one twin’s tiny twig of an arm reached out in a healing hug, and they embraced each other. The monitors were quiet as we all snuggled together. We were going to stay that way for a while.