CMS Marked Kangaroo Care Awareness Day

Central Medical Supplies (CMS) marked International Kangaroo Care Day (15 May), which aims to highlight and prioritise the practice to benefit infant health.  As a specialist supplier of developmental care products, CMS champions  Kangaroo Care, which is a proven therapy of skin-to-skin contact between a newborn and an adult. CMS provides healthcare professionals with a range of products to assist with the technique.

The year’s Kangaroo Care awareness day had the theme ‘Embrace The Magic’.  The day focused on the transformative power of skin-to-skin contact and the impact it has on newborn wellbeing.  As a passionate advocate of the merits of Kangaroo Care, CMS supplies both baby warming and phototherapy systems to help facilitate the therapy.

The Kanmed Baby Warmer is clinically proven to help babies from 1,000 grams maintain their core body temperature and achieve normothermia. A key advantage of the Kanmed Baby Warmer is the access it gives parents to their baby so they can participate in Kangaroo Care.  This is as opposed to a traditional incubator, which restricts the ability to participate in the technique.  As the Warmer enables babies to be moved out of a traditional incubator sooner, it is a cost effective solution for hospitals as it enables more babies to be cared for.

The BiliCocoon^® phototherapy system has been designed to deliver safe, controlled phototherapy to reduce the concentration of bilirubin in the blood.  Its aim is to treat neonatal jaundice without compromising the relationship between mother and baby.  Unlike traditional phototherapy treatment, where the infant is separated from mum for long periods, the BiliCocoon^® system means there can be physical contact while a baby is undergoing essential light treatment.

The BiliCocoon^® system features a lightweight, portable light box connected to LED light pads that wrap around the infant.  There are two different versions of the system – the BiliCocoon^® Bag System and the BiliCocoon^® Nest System. The cocoon element of both systems gives easy access to the infant, enabling the newborn to be held for feeding and swaddling during treatment. This supports the Kangaroo Care technique.

Often used for preterm and low birth weight infants, Kangaroo Care includes three main components. The first is continuous skin-to-skin contact with the baby’s mother or father in the ‘kangaroo position’, laying on or against the parent’s bare chest.  This enables the baby to feel safe and secure.  The second is exclusive breastfeeding when possible and the third is ‘timely’ discharge with close follow up. A study carried out in Columbia, where Kangaroo Care was originally developed, showed that Kangaroo Care had significant, long-lasting social and behavioural protective effects for 20 years after the intervention.

For more information on the Kanmed Baby Warmer and BiliCocoon^® phototherapy system, contact Tracey Pavier-Grant, Sales & Marketing Director at Central Medical Supplies, on 01538 392 596 or email tracey@centralmedical.co.uk. Further details are also available by visiting the CMS website at www.centralmedical.co.uk