"We All Join Hands": Perceptions of the Kangaroo Method Among Female Relatives of Newborns in The Gambia.

Helen Brotherton,Bintou Jarju,Maura Daly,Joanna Schellenberg,Joy Elizabeth Lawn,Penda Johm,Loveday Penn-Kekana

doi:10.1177/1049732320976365

Helen Brotherton, Bintou Jarju + Show 5 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1177/1049732320976365

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Abstract

Family support is essential for kangaroo mother care (KMC), but there is limited research regarding perceptions of female relatives, and none published from West African contexts. In-depth interviews were conducted from July to August 2017 with a purposive sample of 11 female relatives of preterm neonates admitted to The Gambia’s referral hospital. Data were coded in NVivo 11, and thematic analysis was conducted applying an inductive framework. Female relatives were willing to support mothers by providing KMC and assisting with domestic chores and agricultural labor. Three themes were identified: (a) collective family responsibility for newborn care, with elder relatives being key decision makers, (b) balance between maintaining traditional practices and acceptance of KMC as a medical innovation, and (c) gendered expectations of women’s responsibilities postnatally. Female relatives are influential stakeholders and could play important roles in KMC programs, encourage community ownership, and contribute to improved outcomes for vulnerable newborns.

Highlights

Every year, nearly 15 million newborns are born preterm (
Kangaroo mother care (KMC) is a package of care provided by caregivers, mostly the mother, in which small newborns receive prolonged skin-to-skin contact (Vesel et al, 2015) in the “kangaroo position.”
kangaroo mother care (KMC) is recommended as standard care for all stable newborns and has the potential to save an estimated 450,000 newborn lives per year (Bhutta et al, 2014) given a 40% mortality reduction with KMC compared to incubator care (Conde-Agudelo & Diaz-Rossello, 2016)