Pretoria - Twins born prematurely and underweight will experience their first Christmas with their parents after a rocky start to their lives.
During the trying times, little did the parents know the healing power of cuddles and so-called kangaroo care would be a big part of their babies’ recovery.
“Our twins, Aryan and Arianna, were delivered early at 33 weeks and were small babies; one was under 2kg and the other just over 2kg,” Nourah Wax, their mother, said.
The babies were born 10 months ago and had to remain in hospital for weeks after their birth.
The newborn boy and girl were having difficulty breathing and had to be transferred to the specialised neonatal unit at the Netcare Garden City Hospital in Johannesburg.
“These are my first children, and it was very nerve-racking to be separated from them.
“My husband Antonio and I were so anxious about our precious babies at first.
“The doctors and nurses encouraged us to hold them, ensuring that our skin touched our babies’ skin as much as possible as part of their treatment.”
The mother added that in her heart, it felt instinctively good to be so close to her babies.
“Kangaroo care, so named because it mimics the close contact of a mother kangaroo carrying her baby in a pouch close to her body, has particular benefits for premature or low birth-weight babies, although it’s recognised as being valuable for all mothers and babies in appropriate circumstances,” Verena Bolton, a neonatal nurse said.
The World Health Organization supports kangaroo care, which is close, continuous skin-to-skin contact between parents and babies in the first days, weeks and months after birth.
This bonding practice is actively encouraged, and Netcare Garden City Hospital is the first in the Netcare Group to establish a dedicated kangaroo care unit in recognition of the scientifically supported clinical benefits it offers.
“Not only does kangaroo care enhance breast-feeding and bonding, but it also has physiological benefits. Just as breast-feeding provides vital biological substances that help to ensure a healthy and normal digestive tract, skin-to-skin care ensures that a newborn baby’s skin matures and develops a healthy microbiome that contributes to the development of a strong immune system,” Bolton said.
Furthermore, kangaroo care has shown added benefits, including better temperature regulation for the baby and improved cardiac and respiratory function. When a baby is nursed in this way, they tend to have more stable heart rates, more regular breathing, stable blood pressure, and better oxygen saturation levels, she explained.
Benefits for the mother include increased production of breast milk, and both parents feel the strength of that close early bonding experience and the emotional well-being that comes with holding your child and giving them your protective, loving warmth.
Trudie Botha, manager of the Kangaroo Care Unit, said that it has to be skin-to-skin contact, so the baby is wearing just a nappy, and they strap them onto the mother or father’s naked chest.
Nourah said she could see her twins growing stronger each day.
After three weeks in hospital, including two weeks in the kangaroo care unit, Aryan and Arianna gained weight, and their breathing improved, and they were able to go home for the first time with their parents.
“We are looking forward to a big family Christmas, and it will be a very memorable one for us because we will be celebrating our first Christmas as parents with our twins,” the mother said.
Pretoria News