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Massage Therapy Vs Kangaroo Mother Care Case Study

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Critical Thinking Article Analysis Comparative Effect of Massage Therapy Versus Kangaroo Mother Care on Body Weight and Length of Hospital Stay in Low Birth Weight Preterm Infants Jane Doe Pikes Peak Community College PSY 101.3N1, Spring 2017 Section 1: Explain the Issue Babies born before thirty weeks are very premature, and they are unable to survive without medical assistance as they weigh between one and four pounds. Very premature infants at two pounds have a 50% chance of survival, while very premature infants at 3.5 pounds have a 90% chance of survival. The last weeks of gestation are crucial for a baby to increase birth weight; even a few pounds may be the difference between life and death. As of 2014, one in every ten babies born in the United States was premature. These infants have lower survival rates, more medical complications, and possible lifelong health risks (Moglia, 2017). A comparative study held in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at V.S. Hospital in Ahmedabad, India, compared the effects of two different tactile skin-to-skin therapies. The first was massage therapy, and the second was Kangaroo Mother Care (KMC). The authors of the article detail the risks of preterm infants and the health risk factors for babies who are born with low birth weights. This comparative study emphasizes the preterm babies’ plight and focuses on two skin-to-skin techniques to assist in keeping the babies alive and healthy. Thirty preterm infants less than 37 weeks gestational age and of low birth weight, which was defined as less than 5.5 pounds, were observed in the hospital at birth and again five days after to determine weight added. Additionally, the researchers wanted to see if one method would allow the families to be discharged sooner than the other (Rangey & Sheth, 2014). One group of infants received KMC which was created by Ray and Martinez in Bogota, Colombia to serve as an additional and/or alternative tool to infant incubators. KMC provides the infant with tactile and kinesthetic stimulation along with the mother’s familiar scent and her body heat. The KMC infants were placed directly on their mothers’ chests, allowing skin-to-skin contact, for 15 minutes three times a day

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