KANGAROO MOTHER CARE/ AVAILABLE IN ENGLISH AND SWAHILI

"Early moments matters"by UNICEF TANZANIA is now promoting Kangaroo mother care in some health facilities in Tanzania.
The following are several importance of KMC that any parent should know especially those who are expecting to have children soon.


Kangaroo Mother Care, is a time-old childcare initiative, promotes skin contact between a mother and her child. It is an effective and low-cost way of helping premature babies to survive.

Kangaroo Mother Care provides an intimate form of protection to the baby so that rest, growth, and natural healing may occur.

Newborn babies find the best protection when in contact with their mother’s skin – it helps them both physically and emotionally.

Continuous skin-to-skin contact with the mother helps babies to start controlling their body temperature, and strengthens the emotional bond between the two.

When mothers breastfeed, their gentle touch and breathing also stimulates the baby’s breathing. It eases the baby through the new experience of being outside the mother’s womb for the very first time.

Skin-to-skin contact with the mother stabilizes babies. The baby is soothed and comforted by the mother’s familiar heartbeat, her smell and the

KMC is more affordable than incubator care, especially among middle income families. However, only 20% of health facilities promote KMC.

Kangaroo Mother Care is not limited to environments with incubation equipment. It can be administered anywhere. It keeps preterm infants warm and stable.

In some cases kangaroo mother care can also be offered by a father, if the mother died or critical condition after giving birth

SWAHILI

"Mwanzo ni wa muhimu" UNICEF TANZANIA sasa inahamasisha huduma ya mama ya Kangaroo katika vituo vya afya nchini Tanzania. Zifuatazo ni faida muhimu za KMC kwamba kila mtu anapaswa kujua hasa wale wanaotarajia kuwa na watoto hivi karibuni.

Huduma ya mama ya Kangaroo, ni mpango wa huduma ya watoto iliyokuwepo na kutumika kipindi cha nyuma, huduma hii inasisitiza ukaribu wa ngozi kwa ngozi kati ya mama na mtoto wake. Ni njia ya ufanisi na ya gharama nafuu ya kusaidia watoto wachanga hasa waliozaliwa kabla ya muda kuishi.

Huduma ya mama ya Kangaroo humfanya mtoto awe katika hali inayomuhakikishia ulinzi, kupumzika, ukuaji, na uponyaji wa asili huwezekana.

Watoto wachanga hupata ulinzi bora wakati wa kangaroo mother care huwasaidia wote kimwili na kihisia.

Huduma hii ya ngozi kwa ngozi kati ya mtoto na mama husaidia watoto kuanza kudhibiti joto la mwili wao, na kuimarisha uwezo wao wa kulidhibiti, lakini pia huimarisha ukaribu wa mama na mtoto kihisia.

Wakati mama akinyonyesha, kugusana kwake na mtoto kwa upole na kupumua huchochea kinga ya mtoto. Inamshawishi mtoto kupata uzoefu mpya wa kuwa nje ya tumbo la mama kwa mara ya kwanza.

Mguso wa mtoto ngozi kwa ngozi na mama yake huimarisha watoto. Mtoto hufarijiwa na mapigo ya moyo wa mama na harufu yake.

KMC ni nafuu zaidi kuliko huduma ya incubator, hasa katika familia za kipato cha kati. Hata hivyo, asilimia 20 tu ya vituo vya afya huhamasisha KMC, hivyo ni muhimu mama kufahamu hili ili aweze kuhimiza kuelekezwa kutimiza huduma hii kwa mtoto wake.

Huduma ya Mama ya Kangaroo haihitaji mazingira na vifaa vya incubation. Inaweza kutumiwa popote, Inaweka watoto wachanga hasa waliozaliwa kabla ya muda katika uimara na kuwapa joto.

Katika mazingira fulani akina baba pia wanaweza kutoa huduma hii, iwapo mama amefariki au yupo katika hali mbaya baada ya kujifungua.

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Sylvia Senkoro

AfyaLishe Tz Director

0754031039/ 0655568468

sylsenkoro@gmail.com