James had a c-reactive protein (CRP) test yesterday that came back high. A CRP test is a blood test that measures the level of c-reactive protein in the blood. C-reactive protein is a protein made by the liver and is sent into the bloodstream in response to inflammation. Inflammation is a body’s reaction to an injury or an infection. Normally, c-reactive protein in the blood is low, but when it is high it indicates an infection or other disorder. Because James was high, they put him on antibiotics in case he had an infection. Today’s CRP test came back low so that’s good. They will repeat the test again tomorrow.
One of the NICU nurses brought up something called kangaroo care. She explained that it was a way for the mother (and/or father) and the baby to bond through skin-to-skin contact. The baby is naked except for a diaper and placed on their mother’s (or father’s) bare chest. They are then covered in a blanket for warmth. Stacy wasn’t comfortable being completely topless in the NICU, so she kept her bra on. I don’t think James minded; he seemed to enjoy being on mom’s semi-bare chest.
I have always had a curious mind, so I did a little research about this kangaroo care thing. How did this start? When did this start? The concept of kangaroo care came about in the late 1970s in Bogota, Columbia by doctors Edgar Rey and Hector Martinez of the Instituto Materno Infantil. At the time, the maternity unit at the San Juan de Dios Hospital was very large with many of the babies considered high risk. Because of the large volume of births, and the lack of resources such as incubators for premature babies, the infant mortality rate was high. Dr. Rey and Dr. Martinez came up with a simple, cheap, and effective solution. They found that by using a mother’s warmth in place of an incubator, they were able to keep more babies alive.
In addition to keeping the baby’s body warm, kangaroo care has many additional benefits, for both the baby and the mother. For the baby, it can help keep his/her heart and breathing regular; gain weight; spend more time in deep sleep; spend more time being quiet when awake and less time crying; have a better chance of being able to breastfeed. For the mother, she may be able to make more breast milk; reduce her stress; and feel closer to her baby.
If you happen to be reading this because you are in the NICU with your little one, discuss the possibility of doing kangaroo care with one of the NICU nurses and what their policy is. Some NICUs may postpone kangaroo care until the baby is medically stable, while other NICUs may let you do kangaroo care right after birth.
In other James news, he got a bath and weighed in at 6 pounds and 5 ounces. He normally keeps his mouth open, but he seems to be keeping it closed more while he is sleeping.
