Last night, there was a lecture given in the Millenium Center by Dr. Elise van Rooyen, from South Africa, on Kangaroo Mother Care. I've been pretty interested in this topic, so I dragged Tim with me (so I'd have someone to sit next to :-P) and went. What a lecture! Dr. Van Rooyen
started up the first KMC center in her region of South Africa, and I guess the survival rates for premature babies have just shot up. Compared to many other areas where affluence is not an issue, KMC I think makes an especially big impact in this area where there is not enough technology, funding, or staffing to provide for premature infants without KMC. Here are two pictures of dads
with their preterm babies. Intermittent KMC even has benefits while the babies are still being kept on oxygen in incubators, like this mom and baby are doing.Aanyways, it was a really fun lecture.
Katie and Jessies (roomies) adopted two kittens from the animal society, and brought them home yesterday. Amusing thing is, they didn't ask if Kale (other roomie) is allergic to cats. He is. :-P Not very badly though, but he's already sneezing. The kittens are cute, and fight with each other nonstop. Jessie named hers Princess (????) and I think Tim, Kale, and I convinced Katie that hers is named Jibbles. Or Mr. Jibbles. If you think it sounds like a stupid name, just pause, say it in your head, and then shout it out loud, "Jibbllllllllles!!!" You will laugh at it, and this is why it's so great. It's a ridiculous, awesome name. JIBBLES!!!
To recap: If *you* have a baby, practice kangaroo care, even if it's full term (calms babies down a lot, increases weight gain and increased use of the parasympathetic nervous system rather than the sympathetic, which is just good allaround), and don't call it Jibbles.
