A midwife has created a “revolutionary” kangaroo-style pouch that promises to improve neonatal care for babies delivered by caesarean section and improve outcomes for small newborns.
Stacey Boyle invented the special top that birth partners have to wear during surgery, instead of normal scrubs. It features a pouch that allows vital skin-to-skin contact from the moment the baby is born, while the surgical team focuses on the mother and completes the procedure.
Babies delivered by cesarean section can be carefully placed in the sling-shaped pouch worn by the birth partner. Baby can snuggle inside the top and enjoy all the benefits of life-changing skin-to-skin contact.
This has been proven to regulate temperature, stabilize heart rate, promote regular breathing, and even help with early feeding, as well as improve long-term health outcomes, according to the healthcare team.
Stacey, 41, came up with the pioneering idea while working at St John’s Hospital, in Livingston, Scotland, after noticing how difficult such contact was for a mother after this type of birth.
“We know how enjoyable skin-to-skin can be, but it can also be a challenge due to the size of the table. » she said. “Most women were uncomfortable trying to do this and it can be dangerous for babies when moms are lying flat.
“More and more birth partners were interested in doing skin-to-skin, in the meantime (and) I was wondering if there was a way for partners to have skin-to-skin contact without taking off their scrubs.”
Stacey contacted her line manager, Marianne Hay and together they brought her idea to life by helping to design and test different types of materials that would help keep babies at the right temperature.
Marianne said they created three different prototypes and found the most effective design was one where they used a recycled fleece jacket from the NHS (the UK’s national health service) as a covering material, with an opening Secure Velcro sewn onto newly purchased garment. scrubs.
After a huge team effort and lots of positive feedback from patients, Cozy Scrubs (by Stacey)was born.
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Among those already benefiting from it is Sarah Kean, a 28-year-old mother who gave birth to a little girl, Ayla, by cesarean section on November 20, while her new father Michael was wearing the blouse.
“The gowns Michael wore this time were very different from the ones when our two children were born,” Sarah reported.
“In our previous procedures, skin-to-skin contact did not occur with our baby until I was in recovery, about 30 minutes after he was born.”
This time, Sarah was enthusiastic about the excellent result.
“It was amazing, Ayla was crying really hard while her cord was being cut and when she was being weighed, but as soon as she was in the gown with Michael she settled down and was very happy.
“They were both able to sit next to me while my surgery was completed and I was moved to the recovery room, (compared to) when Michael had to leave the room immediately with the previous scrubs. “
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Michael agrees. “Having that skin-to-skin contact with Ayla was an incredibly magical moment, and it meant so much to be able to stay with her and my wife throughout the process.
“The gowns were really comfortable and it was so easy to put Ayla in the pouch, keeping her wrapped and cradled safely. I highly recommend them to anyone who wants to create this special moment of bonding with their newborn.
Alison MacDonald, NHS Lothian Nurse Director, said: “By creating a solution that allows partners to make vital skin-to-skin contact, it has taken an important step towards improving neonatal care and supporting families in these precious first moments. »
Alongside the NHS Lothian research and development team, InnoScot Health, official partner of NHS Scotland, helped to protect and register the model, so that it can now become more widely available to manufacturing partners. (Stay tuned for more information.)
Fiona Schaefer, of InnoScot Health, described it as “a revolutionary innovation to promote skin-to-skin contact with newborns”.
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“The gowns have the potential to reach hospitals across the UK, and perhaps around the world, improving neonatal care and outcomes for families. »
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