The effect of kangaroo care on cortisol levels and immune factors in breast milk
Corresponding Author
Fatma Yilmaz Kurt
Department of Children Health and Diseases Nursing, Faculty of Health Sciences, Çanakkale Onsekiz Mart University, Çanakkale, Türkiye
Correspondence
Fatma Yilmaz Kurt, Department of Children Health and Diseases Nursing, Faculty of Health Sciences, Çanakkale Onsekiz Mart University, Terzioglu Campus, 17020, Canakkale, Türkiye.
Email: [email protected]
Search for more papers by this authorSibel Küçükoğlu
Department of Children Health and Diseases Nursing, Faculty of Nursing, Selçuk University, Konya, Türkiye
Search for more papers by this authorAynur Aytekin Özdemir
Department of Nursing, Faculty of Health Sciences, Istanbul Medeniyet University, Istanbul, Türkiye
Search for more papers by this authorTanju Oğul
Institute of Graduate Studies, Istanbul University-Cerrahpaşa, Istanbul, Türkiye
Search for more papers by this authorHakan Türkön
Medical Biochemistry, Meddem Hospital, Isparta, Türkiye
Search for more papers by this authorSelma Atay
Department of Fundamental Nursing, Faculty of Health Sciences, Çanakkale Onsekiz Mart University, Çanakkale, Türkiye
Search for more papers by this authorNesrin Aşki
Çanakkale Onsekiz Mart University Health Practice and Research Hospital, Obstetrics and Gynecology Clinic, Çanakkale, Türkiye
Search for more papers by this authorCorresponding Author
Fatma Yilmaz Kurt
Department of Children Health and Diseases Nursing, Faculty of Health Sciences, Çanakkale Onsekiz Mart University, Çanakkale, Türkiye
Correspondence
Fatma Yilmaz Kurt, Department of Children Health and Diseases Nursing, Faculty of Health Sciences, Çanakkale Onsekiz Mart University, Terzioglu Campus, 17020, Canakkale, Türkiye.
Email: [email protected]
Search for more papers by this authorSibel Küçükoğlu
Department of Children Health and Diseases Nursing, Faculty of Nursing, Selçuk University, Konya, Türkiye
Search for more papers by this authorAynur Aytekin Özdemir
Department of Nursing, Faculty of Health Sciences, Istanbul Medeniyet University, Istanbul, Türkiye
Search for more papers by this authorTanju Oğul
Institute of Graduate Studies, Istanbul University-Cerrahpaşa, Istanbul, Türkiye
Search for more papers by this authorHakan Türkön
Medical Biochemistry, Meddem Hospital, Isparta, Türkiye
Search for more papers by this authorSelma Atay
Department of Fundamental Nursing, Faculty of Health Sciences, Çanakkale Onsekiz Mart University, Çanakkale, Türkiye
Search for more papers by this authorNesrin Aşki
Çanakkale Onsekiz Mart University Health Practice and Research Hospital, Obstetrics and Gynecology Clinic, Çanakkale, Türkiye
Search for more papers by this authorAbstract
This paper investigated the effect of kangaroo mother care (KMC) in the early postpartum period on cortisol levels and immune factors in breast milk. This quasi-experimental study was conducted at the obstetrics clinic of a university hospital in western Türkiye. The sample consisted of 63 mothers and their infants. All mothers had a cesarean delivery. Participants were divided into control (n = 32) and experimental groups (n = 31). The control group received routine care at the clinic. The experimental group received KMC for the first 3 days after birth in addition to the routine care at the clinic. Milk samples were collected on the third day after delivery to examine cortisol, IgA, IgM, and IgG levels. All parameters were measured using the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay method. The experimental group had lower cortisol levels (17.740 ± 1.438) than the control group (18.503 ± 1.449) (p < .05). This result showed that the difference between the two groups was clinically significant (effect size = .53). There was no significant difference in IgA, IgM, and IgG levels between the groups (p > .05). The experimental and control groups had similar immunological factors, but the former had lower cortisol levels than the latter. Therefore, healthcare professionals should encourage mothers to provide KMC to their infants as soon as possible.
CONFLICT OF INTEREST STATEMENT
The authors declare no conflicts of interest.
Open Research
DATA AVAILABILITY STATEMENT
The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.
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