Today is Kangaroo Care Awareness Day, a day that’s near and dear to us, because it celebrates and highlights the practice of Kangaroo Care (KC), or Skin-to-Skin contact. We at NüRoo are extremely passionate about the practice, science and benefits of KC. So passionate about it, that we truly geek out and could talk about it all day! But it wasn’t always that way….
We, Daniela + Hope, the co-founders of NüRoo, both had children before learning the importance of Kangaroo Care. Sure, we had heard of Skin-to-Skin contact and knew that it was good for mom and baby, but that was the extent of what we knew. It wasn’t until subsequent pregnancies, when our nurse midwives told us about the long-term benefits of the practice, that we truly understood what KC was all about. Our nurses explained that Kangaroo Care (KC) was a very specific way of holding baby, wearing only a diaper, vertically on mom’s bare chest. Continuous skin-to-skin contact stimulates a nerve in both mom and baby, sending a message to the brain to produce a hormonal cascade that delivers a whole ton of benefits.
We were AMAZED to learn that an uninterrupted 60 minutes of Kangaroo Care would accelerate baby’s brain development, reduce stress and crying, regulate baby’s body temperature, heart rate and breathing; increase their quality of sleep; enhance their immune system; stimulate digestion and weight gain; and increase breastfeeding behavior. Equally important, the practice offered benefits for mom that include a decreased risk of postpartum depression; increased milk production; reduction in postpartum bleeding, cortisol (stress) levels, and blood pressure; increased pain tolerance; and higher levels of psychological well-being.
Having received a taste of the science behind the practice, how could we not give and receive all those amazing benefits simply by cuddling our newborn?!
Each of us left the hospital bound and determined to practice KC with our babies, for at least an hour a day. But with active families, including toddlers, running around at home, who had an uninterrupted hour, much less 10 minutes, to lay with baby skin-to-skin in bed or on the couch? And so, the hunt was on for a product that allowed us to wear baby skin-to-skin while we were on our feet, hands-free, doing what we needed to do. And when we never found such a product out there, we decided to invent it ourselves, and the NüRoo Pocket was born!
Seeing the impact Kangaroo Care had on our babies charged and empowered us to advocate for this incredible practice for ALL moms and babies. Hungry to learn as much as we could, we went on to become certified by the US Institute for Kangaroo Care and continue to educate providers and moms alike on the many benefits of KC that extend far beyond bonding. If our story can leave you with one lasting though, may it be that skin-to-skin is not just a hospital based practice. Over 40 years of research proves that the best place for you and your baby to spend the fourth trimester and beyond, is together skin-to-skin! Learn more about the NüRoo Pocket and the science behind the practice at nuroobaby.com.
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Daniela + Hope are giving away 1 NüRoo Pockets Babywearing Shirt to 12 different winners to encourage and support Kangaroo Care Awareness Day and skin-to-skin time for moms and babies.
The NüRoo® Pocket is a babywearing shirt that offers full coverage and mobility for moms practicing skin-to-skin contact with their baby. It also doubles as a hands-free carrier! Extremely easy to get baby in and out of, without wrapping, tying or knotting.
- The ‘cross and hug’ closures provide a custom fit as your body changes and your baby grows.
- The fabric is super soft, breathable, moisture-wicking and offers just the right amount of compression to ensure proper position and continued support for both mom and baby.
- It adheres to the sling carrier standards, which means it’s been tested up to 45 pounds.
- A 2014 Editor’s Pick from What to Expecting When You’re Expecting!
- Available in long-sleeve or short-sleeve in Black or Teal, Sizes XS – XL
- Designed for pre- and full-term babies
- Retails for $59.99
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*This giveaway is open to winners in the USA only.
I love snuggling skin to skin when breastfeeding.
I usually put baby on my chest and then wear my husband’s shirt over us. Then I use something like the Moby or Ktan to secure us together.
A month to go before meeting baby but I’m planning on lots of skin to skin time! Hoping to baby wear as much as possible!
I mistyped my Instagram entries and can’t figure out how to correct them. I follow on @christabee024.
What a great idea for a product that will help mothers and babies!
I would LOVE a NuRoo! Due with my second soon. There’s nothing better than kangaroo care!
I didn’t have much success with breast feeding my first two little ones. I plan on trying again with this next one and this would be a great asset for that! I’m a c-section mama so skin to skin is not easy to accomplish, especially soon after delivery. This would help me achieve skin to skin while also being able to keep up with my other two once the new one arrives.
Loved doing skin to skin when my LO was first born. I would especially do it after baths because he was a January baby and would be SO cold. The skin to skin helped his temperature go up so much faster. This shirt would come in handy so much!
I’m pregnant with #2 whom I’m hoping to have lots of skin to skin time with. With my first we co-slept and I’m still nursing him at 3 1/2 so there’s lots of bonding. He was very sick and hospitalized when he was 2 weeks old so that stopped a lot of the skin to skin I wish we’d had then. My hope is to have baby number 2 wrapped next to me as often as possible!
Skin to skin was very important for establishing a breastfeeding relationship with 2 of my children. I’m hoping to win one of these for a friend of a friend that is expecting a baby that will need an extended nicu stay. I think this would be a huge blessing for her!
This is amazing!
We snuggled skin to skin for baby’s first two weeks and since I didn’t feel like getting off the couch, it was easy to do. When I started being up and moving around more, though, we didn’t get as much skin to skin time. A shirt like this would be wonderful!
Skin to skin is my favorite part of after birth. It’s the bonding time with mommy & baby 🙂
I do skin to skin at feedings.
Breastfeeding and babywearing!
Third time trying to post comment, the security question is ay down there, isn’t it? lol DH did more skin to skin last time than I did, still feels kind of weird to me. I don’t like hanging out naked at all.
I didn’t know there were so many benefits to kc.
I didn’t do nearly as much skin-to-skin with my son as I should have, but with #2 I am planning on doing much more and one of these shirts would make it much more doable!
Love skin to skin time- usually curled up in bed.
I wore my first baby in a ring sling or ergo everyday. He also had chest time with every feeding.
I am hoping to do more skin-to-skin this time around. This is perfect for that.
My little one would only sleep for the first month when lying on my chest skin to skin. She also loved being carried in the moby wrap by daddy skin to skin.
I love skin to skin contact. I’m a young doula. I love the way you make the kangaroocare easyer in the day…. you can just wear your baby skin-to-skin.
I love reading in bed with my baby on my chest, so I can rub his head and back.
i never got to do kangaroo care with my first but im expecting my lil man in 5 weeks and look forward to doing so and helping with bonding and i definitely would love to see how well it benefits my baby first hand.
Right now the skin to skin time is from nursing all night long without a shirt and newborn in only a diaper.
I loved doing skin-to-skin with both of my babies!
Skin to skin with my newborn was a priceless experience. This shirt would have been awesome to have when my girl was born 18 months ago. Would love to have one of these before baby #2.
With my first child I was never told about how important skin to skin contact is. I am just getting ready to adopt a baby girl (she is due any day!!) I feel like skin to skin contact is going to be very important in our relationship so we can get to know each other, so she can learn my heartbeat and my body. I would love to win one of your wraps to help this happen!!
Daddy does skin to skin almost every night with the kids. and my daughter and I do a lot of it in the shower <3
I have been hearing a lot about skin to skin contact and have been trying to do as much of it as I can. Trying the babywear shirt would help out tremendously and help increase my milk supply. Being a new mom and wanting to breastfeed for as long as I can.
I hold her close as often as she will let me
We are TTC, so we have not tried skin-to-skin contact yet, but do intend to, since we have read on all the benefits on it. In the past that type of contact was a given, but lifestyles change and sometimes we forget going back to basics in life in general. This is a great product to assist with that plan, so thank you for the opportunity, and to the sponsors for the great prize.
I like letting my babies sleep on me skin to skin.
I am only 5 months along but cant wait to bond with baby 100% skin to skin! i think it makes all the difference!
I have not tried it yet, but I can’t wait once the little one arrives!
I bought a woven wrap when I had my baby and never could figure it out. Had I had a product like this, I definitely would have done more baby wearing and skin to skin. Hopefully I’ll have a product like this for the next baby!
My first baby is due in September; I can’t wait to meet him/her and get all the benefits of skin to skin bonding!
Just sitting down, getting to hold my little ones, is one of the greatest feelings in the world.