Kangaroo Care (Skin-to-Skin)

Kangaroo Care involves placing a diaper-clad, premature infant in an upright position on a parent’s bare chest – tummy to tummy – with the infant’s head turned so that the ear is above the parent’s heart. Skin-to-Skin Care is safe and beneficial even if the infant is connected to high tech equipment.

Miller Children’s Hospital Long Beach teaches and encourages Skin-to-Skin Care, which has been shown to have a major, positive impact on survival and growth rates, as well as a decrease in the number of days in the hospital. Numerous studies have shown that skin-to-skin care has many health benefits that include the following:

• higher blood oxygen levels
• improved sleep
• improved breastfeeding
• improved weight gain