Effect of Kangaroo Mother Care on Weight Gain and Vital Signs in Preterm Infants Receiving Oral Feeding in Neonatal Intensive Care

What this Trial Is About

Researchers are evaluating the effects of kangaroo care on preterm infants who have started oral feeding in the neonatal intensive care unit. The study aims to understand how skin-to-skin contact during feeding influences physiological parameters, feeding behavior, and weight gain. This is a randomized controlled trial involving infants born between 26 and 366 gestational weeks and currently at 32 to 396 postmenstrual weeks. The study divides infants into two groups using a crossover design. Group 1 receives kangaroo care during the first feeding hour, followed by breastfeeding, while Group 2 is breastfed first and then receives kangaroo care during the second feeding hour. Kangaroo care involves holding infants skin-to-skin on their mothers chests for 30 minutes, with continuous recording of heart rate and oxygen saturation. Infants are weighed before and after feeding without diaper changes to assess food intake. Participants will undergo measurements of weight, heart rate, and oxygen saturation before, during, and after feeding. Researchers will record the timing of sucking during breastfeeding and monitor physiological changes. The main outcome is the change in body weight from before to after feeding. Secondary outcomes include changes in heart rate and oxygen saturation. The study length varies per participant, with detailed monitoring during feeding sessions and rest periods afterward.

Effect of Kangaroo Care on Test Weighing