Kangaroo method saved my baby: The story of Mariamou

Mariamou is a young Peule, Muslim woman aged 25- and a mother of two children, the first 4 years old and the second, Alimatou, 3 months old. Alimatou was born premature at the maternity ward of the Bertoua Regional Hospital. During her first pregnancy, Mariamou was warned by the doctor that her cervix was not closing well and that during her subsequent pregnancies she would need a cerclage (obstetric manoeuvre of attaching the opening of the cervix to prevent it from opening too early during pregnancy) to prevent the foetus coming out before time. She and her husband did not accept the procedure, and in 3 years, Mariamou successively lost 3 children. Her fourth pregnancy was without major anomaly. Mariam was urgently taken to Bertoua Regional Hospital, where she delivers a premature female baby of 29 weeks weighing 925g which was later named Alimatou.

Just after birth Alimatou was taken to the neonatology department for care: “She was very small, with very dark skin, and when she breaths her ribs were visible, her belly deepened and sometimes her lips and toes became very dark, “says the mother. The baby was placed in an incubator with oxygen. For 3 weeks she remained in the hospital, she could only touch her baby to feed her, change her diapers and take temperature. Mariamou during this period lived in fear especially when the baby had repeated episodes of hypothermia (lowering of temperature below normal), the very slow increase in weight, the fear of choking the baby during feeding, the family was sceptical that the baby would live and that it was necessary to make “indéré *(naming ceremony) as quickly as possible to let her die peacefully.

When KMC was proposed to her, she was quite sceptical saying to herself “How can I heat my baby when the incubators can’t do it?” With the help of the medical team and the incessant support of the psychologist she decided to adhere to the Kangaroo method and barely 7 days later the results were palpable: the baby slept better; gained weight within a twinkle of an eye; didn’t get cold anymore. the baby become rapidly active, suckled on her own, and even cried to ask for food. This major step reassured Mariamou “I could now take care of my baby alone, I knew what to do and how to do it” my stay in the hospital was spent in peace. The mother and child were allowed to go out with an ambulatory (outpatient) follow-up scheduled twice a week. Follow-up focused on maintaining kangaroo programme, strict adherence to exclusive breastfeeding, vaccination, weight gain, danger signs and neuromotor development. Baby Alimatou reached 40 weeks old (age considered to be the age at which she should have been born, with reduced risks of acute death due to prematurity) and her very first bath one week later, during the “indéré” or naming ceremony was done in joy and tranquillity in the family. She is now three months, growing healthily and love in her family.