preemie-l Kangarooing
S Weich (sharjo@netins.net)
Fri, 14 Jun 1996 17:39:35 -0700
I have been reading the stories about <1000 G babies and it seems that
ours is an exception. Those of you with new tiny babies don't get
discouraged. Keith was 817 grams, 25 weeks. He is a very loveable and
social child now at 2 1/2 years old. He was sensitive when his feet were
touched because of the blood draws every 4 hours for weeks. But he now
is ticklish on his feet and he likes to cuddle. I read that alot of
babies aren't that way. One thing I haven't heard about is
"Kangarooing". We did that with Keith from the 2nd week of life. For
those who don't know what it is: We would take his naked body (cept
diaper) and lay him (tubes and monitor and all) on our naked chest. The
nurses would give us gowns and put up a shade for privacy. (This program
was developed in Australia, that is why it is called "Kangarooing".)
While we held him, (for 1/2hour) we would talk to him and carress his
hair, etc. We did this for the whole 3 1/2 months he was in the
hospital. He came home around his due date at 4 1/2 pounds. He is so
loveable now, other than the regular 2 year temper. I don't know if that
is why, but I would like to hear from other parents who did Kangaroo.
Sharyl & Keith