So, I've been assigned a story to do for one of the parenting magazines in Singapore on Kangaroo Care. The topic sounds cute enough, but when I accepted the job, little did I know of the power of such a practise. In fact, this skin-to-skin contact that is usually practised on premature babies, is not only beneficial for the preemie's growth and development, it has also revived a clinically dead premature baby. In Australia last year, there were reports of the Ogg family who gave birth to a dead baby boy. One of a set of twins - his sister was born safely - Jamie Ogg was pronounced clinically dead upon birth. Maybe reacting on a mother's instincts, Kate Ogg then placed the dead baby on her bare chest, and she held him and talked to him for almost two hours, during which he showed signs of life. So when he started gripping on his father's finger and opened his eyes, shocking the doctor and other medical professionals present, this miraculous incident could only be credited to one thing; and that is Kangaroo Care.
Even Kate believed that it was the Kangaroo Care method that revived Jamie, and according to doctors, the skin-to-skin contact acts as an incubator for the baby to keep them warm and helps them to adjust to the physical and physiological surroundings of the new world. After reading the Ogg story, I am still amazed at the powerful impact of such a simple act as holding a baby on your bare body and just simply, as Kate said, "loving them". This was definitely beyond my understanding prior to becoming a mother eight years ago. How wonderful it is as parents to give life to a new being and how our love can transform them physically, physiologically and emotionally. I call this one of the miracles of life and I will never be able to fathom it, nor will I try to.
The bottom line is I'm just amazed at life everyday and stories like this just makes me appreciate life's little wonders even more.
For those who would like to read about the Kate Ogg story, click
here.
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