Grey's Anatomy Features Using Kangaroo Care in the NICU

Written by Kirsti A. Dyer MD, MS, FT Friday, November 06 2009 09:44

Mom Stages - NICU

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More NICU Parents (who are also Grey's Anatomy fans) may want to use Kangaroo Care as a treatment for their NICU Baby after watching a recent episode of Grey's Anatomy.

This week the top rated Abc.com show featured a story line about Kangaroo Care in the November 5, 2009 episode "Invest in Love."  

While the television episode featuring Kangaroo Care has the usual dramatic portrayals, the actors on the show are still demonstrating a very real and very beneficial technique that helps premature babies.

Kangaroo Care is a way of holding a NICU baby this is encouraged by many NICU's. Research has shown that this type of care is beneficial to both NICU parents and NICU babies. Grey's Anatomy did a good job of featuring this beneficial care in an episode that aired November 5, 2009.

According to the March of Dimes Parenting in the NICU site, Kangaroo Care is "the practice of holding your diapered baby on your bare chest (if you're the father) or between your breasts (if you're the mother), with a blanket draped over your baby's back."

The technique gets its name from the Kangaroo animal. The way that the baby is held is the same way that these marsupials hold their own young with skin-to-skin contact.

Research has shown that the skin-to-skin contact benefits both the NICU parent and the NICU baby. NICU Parents report that kangaroo care helps them feel closer to their NICU baby.

Benefits of Kangaroo Care for the NICU Baby

The March of Dimes and Cleveland Clinic report the following benefits of Kangaroo Care for the NICU baby. Kangaroo care helps NICU babies to: 

• Stabilize the baby's heart rate
• Maintain the baby's body warmth
• Improve and have more a regular breathing pattern
• Improve oxygen saturation levels
• Spend more time in deep sleep time
• Experience more rapid weight gain
• Spend more time being alert and quiet
• Decrease episodes of crying
• Experience more successful breastfeeding episodes
• Get discharged earlier from the hospital

Benefits of Kangaroo Care for the NICU Parent

The March of Dimes and Cleveland Clinic report the following benefits of Kangaroo Care for the NICU parents. Kangaroo care helps parents to:  

• Experience a closer bond and closeness with their NICU baby/babies
• Increase breast milk supply for nursing mothers who do Kangaroo Care 
• Participate in caring for their NICU baby/babies in a unique way
• Improve their confidence in their ability to care for their babies
• Experience an increased sense of control

More about Kangaroo Care on Grey's Anatomy

For those who follow Grey's Anatomy, I don't think anyone would have predicted tough guy Alex Karev providing Kangaroo Care for a NICU Baby, yet he found himself the resident assigned to care for an unstable premature baby. Bailey suggested that he try Kangaroo care and they discovered that this fragile baby responded to the skin-to-skin care. It also gave Karev something that he could do, when faced with all of his own problems.

I can't do anything about it.

I can sit her and I can hold this baby.

Alex Karev

In this short clip new doctor Reed (Nora Zehetner) walks in on Alex Karev (Justin Chambers) who is still holding a premature baby in his arms providing Kangaroo Care. Their scene ends at 2:00.

Watch Baby Moment from the 11/5 episode "Invest in Love."

How to Provide Kangaroo Care

NICU Parents who are interested in providing Kangaroo Care for their NICU baby should start by checking with the NICU staff about its policy on kangaroo care. According to the March of Dimes, "Some NICUs postpone kangaroo care until the infant is medically stable, while others use it from birth onward. Kangaroo care is safe and beneficial, even if your baby is connected to machines." 

The article on Kangaroo Care from the Cleveland clinic offers some additional tips for getting started with Kangaroo care.

Another good resource on Kangaroo Care is one of the classic, comprehensive books on the topic by Susan Ludington-Hoe, Kangaroo Care: The Best You Can Do to Help Your Preterm Infant that is available on Amazon. In this book child health expert Dr. Ludington-Hoe explores the use of Kangaroo care, the physiological theories behind it, and how it benefits both infants and their parents. She also looks at which preemies are suitable and why.

More Resources on Kangaroo Care in the NICU

March of Dimes. August 2009. Parenting in the NICU: Holding Your Baby Close: Kangaroo Care.

Cleveland Clinic. Kangaroo Care. The Cleveland Clinic Foundation.

Understanding and Parenting Your Preemie: The Social Environment. Meriter Health.

Krisanne Larimer. 1999. Kangaroo Care Benefits. Prematurity.org.

Image: Matt & Janet Dustin. Kangaroo Care. Creative Commons.

About the Author

Kirsti A. Dyer MD, MS, FT is a respected physician, an expert in life challenges, loss, grief and bereavement, professional health educator, professor, lecturer and author. She is also the Parent of a very healthy NICU Survivor.

Dr. Dyer created and has maintained Journey of Hearts, a website for anyone who has ever experienced a loss. She is the author of For Those Who Hold the Littlest Hands, an eBook written to provide information, encouragement and support for NICU parents. She is the founder of the NICU Parent Support Site, a website developed to provide information, encouragement and support for NICU parents.