Infants were full-term (> 37 weeks GA). Mothers assigned to the Kangaroo Care Group were given a KC wrap (The Zaky ZAK, aka Kangaroo Zak)
Infant Behavior and Development, Volume 58, February 2020, 101416; https://doi.org/10.1016/j.infbeh.2019.101416
Infants were full-term (> 37 weeks GA). Mothers assigned to the Kangaroo Care Group were given a KC wrap (Nurtured by Design's The Zaky ZAK/Kangaroo Zak)
ABSTRACT
A randomized control trial was conducted to investigate the effects of skin-to-skin, chest-to-chest contact (kangaroo care, KC) in mother-infant dyads on patterns of infant brain activity and associated mother-infant neurohormone releases. 33 mother-infant dyads participated during pregnancy (29–38 weeks gestation), at neonatal and 3-month periods.
Overall, analyses indicated that:
1) infants in the KC group showed left frontal brain activation patterns (asymmetry and coherence) associated with KC training;
2) KC produced moderate to large increases in oxytocin levels; and
3) KC yielded moderate decreases in cortisol reactivity.
Findings suggest KC may garner favorable neuro-maturational and neurobiological outcomes for dyads.