Kangaroo Care, also called Skin-to-Skin Care, improves initial bonding and helps your baby transition smoothly to life outside your womb. A cap is placed on your baby's head and a warm blanket on his or her back. Then your baby is placed belly-down, directly on your bare chest.

Kangaroo Care can begin immediately after birth or at any point during your hospital stay. We encourage dad to participate too by snuggling the baby on his bare chest. Keep cuddling skin-to-skin after you leave the hospital for continued bonding and health benefits.

Proven Benefits of Kangaroo Care

Kangaroo Care has been proven to offer the following benefits:

• Enhanced brain development is found in newborns that experience Kangaroo Care.
• Babies exposed to Kangaroo Care breastfeed better and longer (six weeks longer on average), and tend to self-attach to your nipple approximately one hour after birth.
• Compared to babies who are swaddled and kept in a crib, babies who receive Kangaroo Care stay warmer, are calmer, cry less and maintain more stable blood sugars.
• Premature babies can become healthier faster when they receive Kangaroo Care.

Let your nurses know if you would like to participate in Kangaroo Care. They will happily assist you.