Riley NICUs are participating in a Kangaroo-a-thon to promote the practice of skin-to-skin care and the healing benefits it provides.
By Maureen Gilmer, Riley Children’s Health senior writer, mgilmer1@iuhealth.org
Seven-week-old twins Charlotte and Enoch Harding are living their best lives snuggled skin-to-skin against their parents, Mallory and Brian Harding, on a Wednesday afternoon.
The babies, born two months early at Riley Hospital for Children’s Maternity Tower, are in the Maternity Tower NICU while they continue growing and developing.
Part of that development is the skin-to-skin care they receive every day from mom and dad.
Skin-to-skin care, also known as kangaroo care, involves placing a newborn or NICU baby on the bare chest of their mother or father for an extended time. The practice helps regulate temperature, heart rate and breathing, while also promoting bonding and stimulating breast milk production.
Sarah Rhoads, a longtime NICU nurse and now quality improvement consultant for Riley NICUs in the Maternity Tower and Simon Family Tower, worked with the Developmental Care Committee to decorate both units and relaunch the Riley Kangaroo-a-thon this year to promote skin-to-skin care.
New parents are provided educational tools about the practice, as well as a kangaroo log to record their hours practicing skin-to-skin with their babies daily. Gift baskets are awarded each day, two on both units, and every family leaves with a children’s book that includes a thank-you on the back.
Palmer Ambrose is another newborn benefiting from skin-to-skin with his mom, Anna Preuschl. Palmer was transferred to Riley shortly after birth to undergo surgery for what’s known as TEF, an abnormal connection between his esophagus and trachea.
He is healing now in the Simon Family Tower NICU, and could join his mom and dad, Greg Ambrose, at home by next weekend.
Preuschl acknowledges it was scary at first to hold her baby when he was attached to multiple wires and tubes, but they’ve developed a rhythm.
“It seems to calm him down, and it’s a good way to stay connected to him, even with all the wires and cords,” she said.
That initial anxiety about the medical equipment attached to their babies is one of the biggest barriers to skin-to-skin care, Rhoads said. It can be intimidating, but nurses and parents are trained in how to safely transfer a baby.
For the Hardings, snuggling with their twins is something they’ve been doing for weeks.
“It’s a way to build a connection with them, and for them to see us as a comfort,” Brian Harding said as he held Enoch. “It’s a skill we’ll need to have as parents.”
The bonding time is something they look forward to, Mallory Harding said as she held Charlotte, even though getting them into position can be a process she compares to a dance.
“It’s a whole to-do, but it’s something we can do for them,” she said. “It’s really nice. We get really comfortable. I’m just looking forward to the day when they won’t need all these wires.”
Mallory, who went into labor on April Fool’s Day, said Charlotte started the process, “trying to kick her way out into the world.” Doctors tried to stop her labor, but the babies were delivered by C-section the next day.
Riley’s Kangaroo-a-thon continues through the week, but kangaroo care continues all year.
Photos by Mike Dickbernd, IU Health visual journalist, mdickbernd@iuhealth.org
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