They call it the kangaroo hug - cradling a new-born baby close to the body, raising its body temperature faster and better than any incubator, and 90 per cent effective in restoring body temperature to premature babies. But what about the mother whose loving cuddle of her dead baby brought him back to life?
Australia. The name of the mother is Kate Ogg, who had twin babies born prematurely at 27 weeks - first Emily, who survived and then after three hours of labour, Jamie who was still-born and after 20 minutes of struggling to get him to breathe, the doctors pronounced him dead. They then handed Jamie to his mother, wrapped in a blanket, for her to say goodbye.
Kate Ogg took the child from the blanket and held him close to her breast for two hours, cuddling him, speaking to him, touching him..., telling him his name, that he had a baby sister and telling him all the plans they had for him for his life... and then the baby started to move and breathe. The first gasp of breath was brushed off by doctors as a reflex action... then the mother gave him some milk from her breast on her finger. Jamie began breathing normally, opened his eyes and reached out for her finger with his hand.
Today, Jamie is five months old and has recovered totally, living at home with his parents and his twin sister. The mother appeared on Australian TV and wished to highlight what is known as the skin-to-skin method to revive sick babies, even those who appear to have been still-born, cuddling the baby with its head on the mother's arm and breast-feeding.
This traditional method has been shown to have far better recovery rates than whisking newborn babies off to hospital incubators. The statistics win 90 per cent to 60 per cent and the kangaroo care, skin-to-skin method, keeping the baby close to the mother's body like the kangaroo baby in the marsupial pouch, keeps the baby fed, organizes stimuli and aids circulation and regulates the body temperature.
The result, according to researchers, produces a reduced risk of hypothermia, a reduced incidence of infection, a reduced incidence of severe illness and better sleep patterns for newborn babies, and especially for infants born prematurely.
The skin-to-skin method should be publicized, healthcare workers should research it and bring the method to the public awareness of the community because it saves lives. Importantly for the healthcare planners and public financiers, it is also cost free.
I don't know whether this story moved my readers, but it certainly made my day. Let us see if together we can see more families blessed with the same miracle the Ogg family experienced.
Timothy Bancroft-Hinchey
Pravda.Ru