title: Kangaroo Mother Care: A review of mothers׳'experiences at Bwaila hospital and Zomba Central hospital (Malawi).
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Kangaroo Mother Care is an intervention that can help reduce neonatal mortality rate in Malawi but it has not been rolled out to all health facilities. Understanding the mothers׳ experience would help strategise when scaling-up this intervention.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  to review experiences of mothers Kangaroo Mother Care at two hospitals of Bwaila and Zomba.
  
  
  METHODS
  quantitative, descriptive using open interviews.
  
  
  METHODS
  two central hospitals in Malawi.
  
  
  METHODS
  113 mothers that were in the Kangaroo Mother Care unit and those that had come for follow-up two weeks after discharge before the study took place.
  
  
  RESULTS
  mothers had high level of knowledge about the significant benefits of Kangaroo Mother Care but 84% were not aware of the services prior to their hospitalisation. 18.6% (n=19) were not counselled prior to KMC practice. Mothers preferred KMC to incubator care. There were factors affecting compliance and continuation of KMC, which were lack of support, culture, lack of assistance with skin-to-skin contact, multiple roles of the mother and stigma.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  mothers had a positive attitude towards KMC once fully aware of its benefits.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  there is need for awareness campaigns on KMC services, provision of counselling, support and assistance which can help motivate mothers and their families to comply with the guidelines of KMC services.
authors.affiliation: Kamuzu Central Hospital, Ethel Mutharika Maternity Wing, P.O. Box 149, Lilongwe, Malawi. Electronic address: jayne.zinenani@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Jayne Z
authors.initials: JZ
authors.lastname: Chisenga
authors.affiliation: University of Malawi, Kamuzu College of Nursing, Private Bag 1, Lilongwe, Malawi. Electronic address: marciachalanda@kcn.unima.mw.
authors.forename: Marcia
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Chalanda
authors.affiliation: University of Malawi, Kamuzu College of Nursing, Private Bag 1, Lilongwe, Malawi. Electronic address: m-ngwale@kcn.unima.mw.
authors.forename: Mathews
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ngwale
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006761:Hospitals / Q000592:standards* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007226:Infant Mortality / Q000639:trends*; D007230:Infant, Low Birth Weight; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D060127:Kangaroo-Mother Care Method; D008295:Malawi; D008875:Middle Aged; D009035:Mothers / Q000523:psychology*; D011247:Pregnancy; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
keywords: Kangaroo Mother Care; Low-birthweight infant; Preterm infant and mother