Last modified: 2023-10-25
Abstract
Low Birth Weight Infants (LBWIs) are infants with a birth weight of less than 2,500 grams regardless of gestational age, either premature or full term. LBWIs are very susceptible to hypothermia due to very thin subcutaneous fat. Infants with low birth weight must be cared for in an incubator or by placing the baby between the mother's two breasts so that there is direct contact between the mother's skin and the baby's skin or the so-called kangaroo method. The research aims to determine the effect of the kangaroo method of care on body temperature stability in LBWIs in the NICU of X Hospital in Surabaya. The research method used was a quasi-experiment. The independent variable in this research is kangaroo method care and the dependent variable is the body temperature of LBWIs. The research population was all LBWIs in the NICU who were treated with the kangaroo method, the sample amounted to 41 babies taken with the total sampling technique. Data were collected through observation of patient medical record documents. Statistical tests using the Wilcoxon Test with a significant value of α = 0.05 and the results obtained p value = 0.001, because p < α shows that kangaroo treatment affects body temperature stabilization in LBWIs. The results of this research indicate that the kangaroo method is one of the LBW infant care programs, due to the bonding of skin-to-skin contact so that it can build a psychological bond between mother and baby, not just providing warmth.