Kangaroo Care Impact on Maternal Health: An Integrative Review

Health care should progress and change as the needs of the population change. As light is shed on the mothers’ experiences during the postpartum period, there is an increasing need to find and implement evidence-based interventions to promote their health and wellness. As a vulnerable population, postpartum women require appropriate treatments and interventions to avoid postpartum complications. Three key themes of postpartum health and well-being that directly and significantly impact mothers are postpartum depression, maternal and infant attachment, and exclusive breastfeeding. This integrative review addressed the correlation between each of these themes and how kangaroo care, upright skin-to-skin contact, impacts them. Inconsistent use of kangaroo care as an intervention for mothers postpartum was discovered in this review, as it is typically used for infants. Statistical evidence supporting the use of kangaroo care to improve overall maternal health was discussed in this integrative review. Keywords: kangaroo care (KC), postpartum depression, maternal and infant attachment, exclusive breastfeeding