Perception and Practice of Kangaroo Mother Care Among Mothers of Pre-term Babies at a National Referral Hospital in a Limited Resource Setting

TL;DR

This study explores how mothers of preterm babies in a limited resource hospital in Kenya practiced and perceived Kangaroo Mother Care (KMC) during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Contribution

The study provides insights into KMC practices and perceptions during the pandemic in a low-resource setting, highlighting the need for continued promotion of KMC.

Findings

Most mothers practiced KMC during the pandemic, primarily for bonding and breastfeeding.

Older mothers and those with more children were less likely to engage in KMC.

Concerns about transmitting COVID-19 were a major barrier to KMC practice.

Abstract

The effect of COVID-19 on KMC practices in limited resource settings and on healthcare delivery globally remains unclear.

In this cross-sectional descriptive study, we aimed to assess the perceptions and practice of Kangaroo mother care (KMC) during the COVID-19 pandemic by postnatal mothers of preterm babies in the New Born Unit (NBU) at Kenyatta National Hospital.

A total of 82 postnatal mothers of preterm babies participated in this study. Majority of respondents practiced KMC during the pandemic period, with intermittent KMC being the most common form of practice. The reasons for practicing KMC were to promote mother-baby bonding and facilitate infant breastfeeding, while the main reason for fear of practicing KMC was concerns that the baby could contract COVID-19. We found no significant associations between KMC practice and education level, religion, pre-existing illness, and knowledge about COVID-19. It was noted that older mothers and those with more children were less likely to engage in KMC. There was a trend for married women to be more likely to engage in KMC, even though this did not reach statistical significance.

There is a need to reinforce continued KMC practice during the pandemics and allay any concerns that mothers have over practicing KMC. We emphasise the need to prioritise KMC practices in the context of possible future pandemics, as it has been shown to have numerous benefits for preterm babies and their mothers.