News & Stories
Hopping in the Kangaroo-A-Thon: Cooper’s NICU Celebrates the Power of Skin-to-Skin Care
This May, Cooper’s NICU proudly celebrated the power of skin-to-skin care—also known as Kangaroo Care—for newborns and premature or sick infants.
Team members came together to raise awareness about the benefits of Kangaroo Care and gifted new families with stuffed kangaroos and baby books as a symbol of comfort and connection.
This year’s Kangaroo-A-Thon wouldn’t have been possible without your support. Thanks to you, Cooper’s NICU was able to share meaningful gifts with families beginning their journey. Your generosity is truly invaluable.
The global theme for this year’s celebration, “In Your Arms, I Thrive,” highlights the profound impact of Kangaroo Care: direct, skin-to-skin contact between parent and baby. The World Health Organization recommends this practice for at least 6 months for preterm infants and 3 months for full-term babies.
Kangaroo Care has been shown to:
- Improve sleep quality for infants
- Promote weight gain
- Improve feeding tolerance
- Reduce stress for both baby and caregiver
- Boost breastmilk supply
- Lower the risk of infection
- Increase oxytocin levels to enhance bonding
Want to support next year’s Kangaroo-A-Thon or one of the many other initiatives powered by the Cooper Foundation? Click below to learn more: