Some images are so powerful, so heartwarming, that they’re almost impossible to resist.
One such photo is of a little boy helping his father warm his two premature twin sisters.
Originally published on Danish Facebook page Parents and birth in Denmark about three years ago, it’s been shared again and is now gaining new momentum.
Kangaroo care is a technique of holding premature babies skin-to-skin to warm them instead of using incubators. Research from the National Institute of Health shows that the technique is effective in reducing pain among preterm babies. Premature babies are sensitive to pain, because their brain and nervous system aren’t yet fully developed. But skin-on-skin contact seems to have an analgesic or sedative effect, thus reducing their pain responses.
Recently, the image started spreading across on the Internet again when it was posted on the NINO Birth Facebook page.
In the text that accompanies the photo, Swedish Professor Uwe Ewald describes how kangaroo care works: “Skin to skin contact helps the baby to breathe better. The child becomes more calm and gains weight faster. Research shows that parents bacterial flora – compared with hospital bacteria – reduces the risk of serious infections in these delicate children.”
Forældre og Fødsel har modtaget denne pressemeddelelse: TIL PRESSENRevolutionerende/nytænkende praksis I Uppsala. …
Posted by Forældre og Fødsel on Thursday, May 28, 2015
One woman who commented on the photo on Facebook wrote: “We practiced this ‘kangaroo’ care regularly with my micro preemies. One born at 25.3 weeks and the other at 23.5 weeks. They are now strong young adults at 20 & 19.”
It certainly is both a beautiful and important picture, don’t you think? Share if you agree!
