EDGEWOOD, Ky. — Nurses say skin-to-skin contact, also known as kangaroo care, plays a major role in a baby's development and a parent's connection in the first moments after birth.
Kate Tabler and her newborn baby, Lucas George Tabler, have been bonding this way every day since he was born in the NICU at St. Elizabeth.
"He was born at 28 weeks, prematurely, and so even with medical equipment and staff there and a lot of extra bells and whistles, it was still just me and my baby at the end of the day, and my husband, and (it) just felt like what it was supposed to be," Tabler said.
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Medical experts say kangaroo care can help regulate a baby's heart rate, breathing and body temperature.
Keri Hinson is the nurse manager of the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at St.Elizabeth Edgewood.
"We try to initiate that within the first 24 hours, even if we're doing it in the OR or the delivery room," Hinson said.
She said the practice is beneficial for both families and babies.
"They can hear mom's voice, they can hear mom's heartbeat, it's more like the in utero experience that they should be having at that time," Hinson said.
Tabler said a few moments of kangaroo care a day can make a lasting impact on a baby's life and has advice for other new moms.
"Take as much skin-to-skin time as you possibly can," said Tabler.
