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In November 2016, representatives of major US and international health professional associations endorsed a joint statement recommending the universal use of “kangaroo mother care,” or KMC, for all preterm and low birthweight infants. At the event, Mark Hogsett, father of a premature baby, talked about how his son benefited from KMC.
KMC refers to the practice of the mother (or other caretaker) carrying the newborn in early, continuous, and prolonged skin-to-skin contact, and exclusive breastfeeding or feeding with breastmilk. According to the World Health Organization, KMC can help reduce illness and deaths due to prematurity during the first days and weeks when babies are at their most vulnerable.