Kangaroo Care and reading aloud, a cure -all especially for the premature

Is called Kangaroo Care or Marsupium therapy: it is of a Baby care technique, especially prematureThat It provides for peile to skin, mom-bambino or parent-bambino. This practice offers numerous blessings for the growth of these more fragile small and exposed to a greater risk of atypical neurosvilulappo, both motor and sensory and cognitive, behavioral and social.

Birth is a stress factor for the little ones

Early exposure to the extrauterine environment (as in the case of preterm births, ed)the procedures related to birth and separation from the mother impact strongly on the cerebral development of the little ones. «The newborn – explains Professor Massimo Agosti, President of the Italian Society of Neonatology (SIN) – It is able to distinguish early, already in uterus, through intonation and prosody, that is, the set of pronunciation features (rhythm and accent) and the syllabation of words, the maternal item. This privileged relationship channel that is established between mother and child is abruptly modified and interrupted by the preterm birth, with a transition from the « muffled » uterine environment, in which the sounds are low frequency and the vocalizations transmitted and attenuated, to that of TIN, where the sounds on the other hand are high frequency, intense and not attenuated, and which rarely remain under 45 db, or decibel, recommended (which correspond to a moderate noise level, comparable to that of a refrigerator, editor’s note) »

The sounds that help to grow

Some studies suggest that, due to the mix of human voices and electronic noises of the environment, Only 2-5% of the sounds in Tin correspond to a language identifiable by the newborngenerally not specifically directed to him, contributing to the potential alteration of neurosviluppu of the prematurity, with disorders from attention deficit and anomalies of the early communication skills. « The premature birth and hospitalization in Tin in essence – clarifies Professor Agosti – interrupt the filter function, protective, exercised by the womb and expose the newborn to an excessive negative auditory stimulation ». Some simple practices, such as Reading aloud Which can be carried out within the Kangaroo Care, it can help relieve these stressful conditions for neurosviluppo.

How to reduce stress in the newborn

FThey are the personalized and centered interventions on the newborn and his family. Strategies that help to reduce stress in the newborn, limiting exposure to noise and protecting sleep, and others that promote the relationship with parents are crucial for the protection of the brain. « The newborn is « hi touch », sensitive to sensory and emotional stimuli with high contact. Reading in Tin – adds the professor – is therapeutic, for the child, but also for the parents. The studies that have assessed the role of exposure to direct language to the newborn, show that hearing human words in Tin increases vowels already starting from the 32nd week of gestation; It promotes neurovegetative neonatal stability (cardiac and respiratory frequency, oxygenation levels), improves food tolerance and reduces parental anxiety.

« There reading aloud by parents It proves to be, therefore, a sure multisensory intervention strategy in Neonatology and Tinallowing preterm born to progress adequately in normal development. During the hospital stay and once at home, parents should read their children daily, allowing them to be the early recognition of their voice ». Several studies have found that theEarly Vocal Contactearly vocal contactunderstood as a singing or reading aloud by parents, it seems to have positive effects on the auditory and emotional development of newborns, improving their neurological performance, thanks to the cerebral plasticity based on the experience of maternal sounds. These positive effects are amplified when integrated with « leather skin » contact practices.

The advantages of « Kangaroo Care »

Further benefits are recognized at Kangaroo Care, such as The improvement of thermoregulation and the maintenance of a stable body temperature in the newborn; promotion to breastfeedingthanks to the contact with the mother’s breast; The improvement of sleep qualityfavoring in the child greater relaxation, for a sort of calming effect; the reduction of the risk of mortality and morbidity. There are numerous advantages also for the mother: for example the KAngaroo Care can increase milk production And in parents increase trust in themselves and in their own abilities and skills in taking care of the child, thus contributing to improving the mother-child emotional bond or parent-bambino.