The Effect of Kangaroo Care and Maternal Voice on Comfort, Anthropometric Measurements, and Transition to Oral Feeding in Preterm Infants
This randomized controlled study aims to evaluate the effects of kangaroo care combined with maternal voice and fetal positioning on the comfort, growth, and transition to full oral feeding in preterm infants aged 30 to 34 weeks gestation. After ethical approval, eligible infants in the neonatal clinic will be randomly assigned to either the intervention group receiving kangaroo care, maternal voice, and fetal positioning, or a control group receiving only fetal positioning in the incubator. The intervention involves daily one-hour kangaroo care sessions with maternal storytelling, followed by positioning in the lateral fetal posture, continuing at least five days per week until infants achieve full oral feeding. Infant comfort will be assessed regularly using the Neonatal Comfort Behavior Scale before feeding, immediately after kangaroo care, and after fetal positioning. Growth parameters, including weight, length, and head circumference, will be measured and recorded on kangaroo care days. The control group will receive routine fetal positioning without kangaroo care, with identical measurements taken. The study aims to determine whether kangaroo care combined with maternal voice and fetal positioning improves infant comfort, supports growth, and facilitates the transition to full oral feeding in preterm newborns.
• Infants with a gestational age between 30-34 weeks.
• The mother's ability to read and write.
• The infant must be fully enterally fed at the time of enrollment in the study.
• Infants who are being fed via orogastric tube at the time of enrollment.
• Infants whose mothers agree to engage in skin-to-skin contact for 1 hour, five sessions per week, with auditory stimulation (storytelling) for 15 minutes will be included in the study.
• Infants whose mothers cannot participate in the study (due to health issues or other reasons) or refuse kangaroo care will be placed in the control group, where routine service care will be applied.