The Effect of Kangaroo Mother Care on Fuss and Crying Time in Colicky Infants

Background: Infantile colic is a common complaint in the first few weeks of the neonate’s life. Due to its unknown etiology, there is not a specific therapy for this disease. However, various therapeutic options are recommended for reducing the pain and restlessness in the affected infants. Skin-to-skin contact via Kangaroo Mother Care (KMC) is known to increase the pain threshold and it seems to be a proper method for the care of these infants. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of KMC on infantile colic. Methods: This case-control study was performed from March 2012 to March 2013. Subjects consisted of 55 exclusively breastfed infants ageing between 15-60 days with excessive fuss and crying who were referred to the Children’s Clinic of Ayatollah Rohani Hospital in Babol, North of Iran. The neonates who weighed less than 2500 grams or had been diagnosed with genetic or clinical disorders were excluded from this study. The studied infants were subjected to KMC for at least 2 hours a day. Standard questionnaires were completed through interviews and Barr Scale was also conducted. The collected data were analyzed by SPSS software V.11.5 and T-test and a P-value of less than 0.05 was considered as significant. Results: According to the results of this study, the fuss and crying time of the infants before the KMC was 2.21±1.54 hours per day while it reduced to 1.16±1.3 hours per day after the implementation of KMC (p=0.001). Conclusion: KMC could be practiced at home as a simple and safe method of diminishing the fussiness and crying time in colicky infants.