A guest article by Livia Nagy Bonnard from the Hungarian Parent Organisation Right(s) beside you!
May 2018 was passing by in our Association in the spirit of kangaroo care. We invited and had the pleasure to welcome Professor Nils Bergman, one of the most famous researchers and the ambassador of kangaroo mother care (KMC) in Hungary.
After successful events in 2016 and 2017 we organised a Kangaroo Care Challenge amongst several Hungarian Neonatal Intensive Care Units (NICUs) on the occasion of the International Kangaroo Awareness Day on 15 May 2018.
Kangaroo care, the essence of which is the creation of skin to skin contact between the chest of the mother or father and their infant, is indispensable for a balanced development of the preterm baby. Beyond the calm and safe environment which is extremely important for them, through its numerous positive physiological effects, beside the growing technical conditions, KMC is the best method of preventing serious health conditions preterm neonates are often affected by, such as lung diseases or infections. In addition, a close skin-to-skin contact between mother and baby has a positive impact on the maternal milk flow.
The Kangaroo Care Challenge closed on 15 May 2018, at midnight. For our greatest pleasure, there were 13 NICUs that competed this year for the award.
Participating and registered NICUs:
- Kecskemét PIC
- Gyula PIC
- Honvédkórház PIC
- Tatabánya PIC
- Győr PIC
- Pécs PIC
- Debrecen Gyermek PIC
- Miskolc PIC
- Szeged PIC
- Zalaegerszeg PIC
- Veszprém PIC
- I-es Gyermek PIC
- I-es Szülészet PIC
The Best NICU of the year in Kangaroo Care award stayed after three years in a row at the NICU in the city of Kecskemet.
The individual competition was won by twins Baby Panni and Baby Vencel, and we rewarded them with a twin push-chair at their request.
We would like thank to all nurses and doctors who helped the parents to participate in the ten days’ challenge. Lots of mothers and fathers were surely providing kangaroo care to their babies without registering and thus not participating in the competition. Thus, we encourage every NICU and every parent to join our competition next year. Let us help to reveal the support we give to the babies and to their families!
Special thanks to
Livia Nagy Bonnard
Melletted a helyem Egyesület – Right(s) beside you! association
