Kangaroo Holding Effects on Breast Milk

NCT ID: NCT00418106

Last Updated: 2008-01-18

Basic Information

• Recruitment Status: COMPLETED
• Total Enrollment: 20 participants
• Study Classification: OBSERVATIONAL
• Study Start Date: 2005-11-30
• Study Completion Date: 2006-12-31

Brief Summary

Kangaroo holding is a skin-to-skin method of holding a baby. Many research studies have investigated the maternal and infant benefits associated with kangaroo holding. The purpose of this study is to determine if kangaroo holding a baby changes the amount and composition of breast milk pumped before and after the kangaroo holding session.

Hypotheses:

1. There is a significant difference in volume of maternal breast milk pumped after kangaroo holding premature infants as compared to maternal breast milk pumped after non-holding conditions

2. There is a significant difference in the composition of maternal breast milk pumped after kangaroo holding premature infants as compared to maternal breast milk pumped after non-holding condition.

Detailed Description

This study will address two of the overwhelming challenges in the physiologic care of premature infants in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) environment. The first challenge is promoting neonatal growth through providing a careful balance of nutrition to caloric expenditure for premature infants. The second challenge is supporting parents in the intensive, technology driven environment of the NICU to merge physiologic care with parental-infant interaction through touch, communication, and maternal intervention. The vast majority of mothers with premature infants express breast milk for early feedings, however milk production tends to diminish three to four weeks after delivery. The practice of skin-to-skin holding is thought to promote the mother's ability to produce breast milk, but had not been empirically tested. This study will examine the relationship of kangaroo holding on mother's breast milk production and composition.

Conditions

Premature Birth

Study Design

• Observational Model Type: COHORT
• Study Time Perspective: PROSPECTIVE

Study Groups

1

Mothers who are pumping breast milk and who are willing to kangaroo hold their infant.

No interventions assigned to this group

Eligibility Criteria

Inclusion Criteria

• Birth weight </= 2000 grams
• Gestational age 26-34 weeks at birth
• Medically stable at start of study
• < 14 days old at start of study

Exclusion Criteria

• Infants receiving phototherapy
• Suspected congenital abnormalities
• Overwhelming sepsis
• Cardiac Abnormalities
• Suspected infections

• Maximum Eligible Age: 14 Days
• Eligible Sex: ALL
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

Sponsors

University of Delaware

OTHER

Sponsor Role: collaborator

Christiana Care Health Services

OTHER

Sponsor Role: lead

Responsible Party

Christiana Hospital

Principal Investigators

Amy N. Johnson, DNSc, RNC

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Christiana Care Health Services

Locations

Christiana Hospital

Newark, Delaware, United States

Countries

United States

Other Identifiers

24211

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id