Search Results for: blog we love kangaroo care

We Love Kangaroo Care

My daughter was born with some minor health concerns. Because of this, the pediatricians at the hospital recommended she remain in the hospital for a week to be observed. It was very upsetting that we didn’t get to take her home right away. However, the experience was not entirely negative. I was able to stay in my daughter’s room the entire week, and we learned about a very valuable method of caring for babies. This method is called Kangaroo Care. Kangaroo Care is a method often used with premature babies, but it has been proven to be very successful in … Continue reading →

When You Love Someone

When you love someone it doesn’t matter what you do. Just being together is enough. Saturday was one of those together days and evenings for Mick and me. While the washing was in the machine, immediately after breakfast we went to the local markets where we bought fresh fruit from the orchard and those vegetables, Mick hasn’t got ready in our own garden, we bought fresh from the market garden. We also found a Christmas gift at one of the stalls and then Mick bought me a silver bracelet for no reason except that I admired it. He’s a sweetie … Continue reading →

Swimming with Kangaroos and Author/Publisher/Pet Rescuer Dindy Robinson: Part II

In Part I of my interview with Dindy Robinson we talked about her animal rescues. This section is all about her adorable cats… Courtney Mroch: What kind of pets do you have now? Names, ages, breeds, etc? Dindy Robinson: We don’t have any dogs right now –our last dog died in January after thirteen happy years with us. We have seven cats –all rescues. Gollum is a gray male tiger, about 4.5 years old. When we first got him, he nearly died from a stomach virus. He had very smelly, running diarrhea. We had to wrap him in a towel … Continue reading →

Swimming with Kangaroos and Author/Publisher/Pet Rescuer Dindy Robinson: Part I

Dindy Robinson runs the Swimming Kangaroo Books publishing company with her husband Bill. Like her name (both her given and her company’s), she is quite the colorful character who also happens to be quite the animal lover. She was kind enough to take time from her busy duties to answer my questions. Following below and in Part II are her answers. Courtney Mroch: How did you come up with the name “Swimming Kangaroo” for your publishing company? (It is very catchy!) Dindy Robinson: It’s from a family joke. We were carrying on a debate with a young man about evolution … Continue reading →

Love You Forever–Reassuring Your Adopted Child

“I want to go bye-bye!” my four-year-old sobs. This has become her standard response to being reprimanded. I usually tell her she can go to her room. Then I make sure to add, “We’ll be here when you’re ready.” There is nothing particularly unusual about this, of course. It would be wrong to assume adoption is the primary cause of every emotion my daughters have. However, many adoptive parents and adoption professionals report that adopted children often experience insecurity and fear of abandonment. The last few times my daughter has wanted to go bye-bye, I tell her, “I would come … Continue reading →

Do You Kangaroo?

Kangaroo Care is not a new concept. It has been around for centuries and is commonly practiced in other cultures all the time, as a practical way of life. However, the term was coined in 1979 when doctors in Columbia, in response to a shortage of incubators and a hospital wide infection, started using kangaroo care because they simply couldn’t do anything else. The results were astonishing and Kangaroo Care started being used commonly to treat premature infants and respiratory distress. Kangaroo Care, as the term is used today, has a variety of definitions but generally consists of at least … Continue reading →

Reusable Breast Pads

Having a baby definitely changes a woman’s body. I’m not going to get into all of the ways my body will never be the same again after conceiving and giving birth, but I am going to talk about one part of being a new mom: leaky breasts. I’ll never forget the day my milk came in. I still hadn’t left the hospital, because my daughter stayed in the Special Care Unit for a week. I had just walked out of the bathroom connected to my daughter’s room, and either a nurse or my mother asked me, “Has your milk come … Continue reading →

Bonding with Your NICU Baby

Recently, here in the baby blog we have been talking about preemies and the NICU experience. Emotionally draining is an understatement. Bonding is also another challenge as you might not even be able to hold your little one for awhile. NICU babies have unique needs and consequently it’s important that you give yourself permission to observe your baby’s cues and watch them closely. Your baby might not be interested in the outside world for awhile and actually, that’s not a terrible thing. NICU preemies, particularly ones who are sick, need all their energy for recovering. Once your baby is matured … Continue reading →

Close to You – Kimiko Kajikawa

Animal parents and their young have unique ways of bonding. In Close to You: How Animals Bond, by Kimiko Kajikawa, beautiful photos of animal parents and babies are paired with charming text. The reader is treated to cuddling polar bears, a kangaroo in its mother’s pouch, an alligator baby being carried in mom’s mouth, caressing manatees, a baby penguin balancing on a parent’s toes, and more. Children love to look at animals, especially baby animals. This would be a sweet book for bedtime stories. The text is simple enough for very young children. I would also recommend it for early … Continue reading →

Volunteer Cuddler Programs Help Preemies

Having to leave your baby in the hospital is heart wrenching. I was talking with one fellow MOM (mother of multiples) recently who recounted her experiences with her preemie twins. She said she spent 16 hour days at the hospital with her twins for 6 weeks while they were in the NICU. However, not every mom can spend that much time in the hospital for extended periods of time. Enter the Volunteer Cuddler Program. These special ladies (and I suppose men could do it too), volunteer their time to go to the hospital and cuddle preemies. Cuddling Gets Started Preemies … Continue reading →