Rania Fadel gave birth to twin boys, Ilyas and Yahya, on September 25. While Yahya was born healthy, Ilyas was admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit weighing just 1.4 kilograms (3 pounds). He had medical issues affecting his blood and lungs and needed specialised care in an incubator.
For 11 days, Fadel, recovering from a Caesarean section, could not hold her son. When staff called her to try kangaroo mother care, she said: "I rushed over. I was in a hurry to get to him. It was such a feeling."
The method involves prolonged skin-to-skin contact between a caregiver and baby, ideally the mother, combined with exclusive breast milk feeding. A nurse helped Fadel position Ilyas against her chest, and he remained there for about 90 minutes.
"He started breastfeeding from me, and he stayed a little longer. I felt he was improving," she said. "The baby feels that his mother is there. He feels safe. Honestly, it makes me very happy."
World Health Organization guidance notes that kangaroo mother care can reduce neonatal mortality by 32 percent and mortality by six months of age by 25 percent compared with conventional care. For premature and low-birthweight babies, it helps regulate body temperature, supports breastfeeding and improves health outcomes.
Ilyas has since moved from intensive care to the hospital's neonatal care unit, and Fadel continues the skin-to-skin sessions.