TITLE:
Kangaroo Mother Care Practices for Newborns at a Referral Center in Abidjan
AUTHORS:
Kouakou Kouamé Cyprien, Djivohessoun Augustine, Dainguy Marie Evelyne, Djoman Isabelle, Folquet Amorissani
KEYWORDS:
Neonatal Mortality, Low Birth Weight, Kangaroo Care, Cote d’Ivoire
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Pediatrics,
Vol.15 No.1,
January
3,
2025
ABSTRACT: Introduction: Kangaroo mother care (KMC) or skin-to-skin contact help to prevent hypothermia, promote breastfeeding and baby-mother attachment. It’s an effective technique management of low-birth-weight (LBW) newborns. The objective of this study was to investigate the efficacy of KMC for LBW newborns admitted to the university health center of Cocody in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire. Population and Methods: This was a retrospective study focusing on a cohort of low birth weight newborns admitted in KMC unit during the period from September 2019 to July 2021 (23 months). We don’t include newborns whose records were incomplete or whose length of stay in kangaroo care had been less than 72 hours. We collected sociodemographic, maternal, obstetric, neonatal characteristics and KMC data (age/weight at inclusion, thermoregulation, feeding, growth evolution and complications). Results: We included 137 newborns with a mean gestational age of 31 SA. Mean birth weight was 1401 g. The majority of mothers worked in the informal sector (45%). The average length of stay in conventional care was 17 days. At inclusion in KMC, the mean weight was 1376 g (minimum 900 g). The most common complications were anemia (16.2%), weight loss (9.5%) and infection (2.9%). Only 13% of newborns received exclusive breast milk. The average daily weight gain was 25 g. Average discharge weight was 1570 g. The hypothermia rate was 17%. We notified 2 deaths (1.5%). Factors influencing regular weight gain of 25 g/day were mother’s marital status and length of stay in conventional care. Conclusion: In developing countries such as Côte d’Ivoire, KMC is a good alternative to conventional care.