It turns out that a simple carrying even helps to nurture premature babies – and better than a special incubator.
As soon as the baby appears, it is immediately applied to the mother’s breast – skin to skin. Then, however, they carry it away. But then it is only up to the parents how often the child will have such close contact with them. And doctors advise: the more often, the better. And the longer, the more wonderful.
Baby Joshua was born prematurely, 32 weeks pregnant. He was admitted to the intensive care unit. But his parents very often carried the boy in their arms in turn. We sang to him, read books aloud. The kid spent at least two hours a day at his parents’ chest.
– I really wanted to help my son. At first he protested, apparently because my male hairy chest is very different from my mother’s, but then he got used to it, ” said the boy’s dad. – Looking at me, other fathers began to do the same – they took off their shirts and hugged their children to their chest.
Joshua was surprisingly quick to catch up with his peers who were born on time. Doctors are sure: the baby was gaining weight so quickly and becoming stronger precisely because of skin-to-skin contact. He was getting healthier right before our eyes – much faster than the other kids who entered the department at the same time, but spent much less time on their hands.
Joshua is now two years old. He is cheerful, healthy, and he himself babysits his younger brother.
The fact that it is useful to carry babies in your arms or in a sling was noticed back in 1978. Neonatology professor Edgar Sanabria from Bogotá was the first to use this method. By chance: there were just not enough places for everyone in his department. He thought of … a kangaroo. These animals carry their babies in bags for up to eight months. Sanabria decided that such physical closeness could help premature babies too. And he was right.
A little later, scientists began an experiment that lasted 20 years. They compared how children wore in sling developed and “non-tame” children. It turned out that the “kenguryats” grew up as calmer children, studied better and showed more interest in learning, their level of aggression was 16 percent lower than that of ordinary children. As adults, they earned more. And much more – by 53 percent. In addition, in families that were already created by the “kenguryats” themselves, peace and tranquility usually reign, and children are never deprived of attention. And even the practice of using a sling affects the development of the brain – the kangaroos have a more developed brain, a greater volume of gray matter and cerebral cortex. This is what affects the ability to learn and develop memory.
According to scientists, the sling method affects the development of the baby for several reasons. First, it allows the premature baby to maintain a normal temperature – the mother’s body acts as a regulator. Secondly, the baby gets breast as soon as he needs it – and here we are talking about all the benefits of breastfeeding. Thirdly, such close contact improves the psychological state of newborns and even for the better affects the processes in the baby’s body at the molecular level.
It turns out that the “sling” parent becomes an incubator for the baby. Alive – and this is always better than even the smartest device.