Admission to the kangaroo mother care (KMC) ward with continued support of kangaroo mother care, breastfeeding, and preterm infant care for less than 2 days prior to discharge home

Time in hours and minutes spent practicing kangaroo mother care (KMC) per day by the mother obtained by interview with mother.

Time in hours and minutes spent practicing kangaroo mother care (KMC) per day by the mother obtained by interview with mother.

Time in hours and minutes spent practicing kangaroo mother care (KMC) per day by the mother obtained by interview with mother.

Time in hours and minutes after delivery, when infant is initially put to breast for feeding

Number of months of any breastfeeding reported by the mother in an interview

A pre-defined set of questions will be asked to all the mothers to determine the barriers contributing to kangaroo mother care (KMC) initiation at the birth hospital. The Investigators will enroll mothers (n=24), fathers (n=24), and family members (n=24) to undergo in-depth interviews (IDIs).

A pre-defined set of questions will be asked to all the mothers to determine the barriers contributing to kangaroo mother care (KMC) initiation at home. The Investigators will enroll mothers (n=24), fathers (n=24), and family members (n=24) to undergo in-depth interviews (IDIs).

Score on "Ages and Stages Questionnaire" (ASQ) obtained by interview with parent developmental assessment tools which scores items (Y = 10, Sometimes = 5, Not Yet = 0) in areas of Communication, Gross motor, Fine Motor, Problem Solving and Personal-Social. Scoring of items are totaled and placed on a graph indicating cut off score. If score is above cut-off, the child's development appears to be on schedule; near the cutoff, may provide learning activities and monitor; and below cutoff, requiring further assessment.

6-month cutoffs (Communication 29.65; Gross Motor 22.25; Fine Motor 25.14; Problem Solving 27.72 and Personal-Social 25.34); 12-month cutoffs (Communication 15.64; Gross Motor 21.49; Fine Motor 34.50; Problem Solving 27.32 and Personal-Social 21.73); 18-month cutoffs (Communication 13.06; Gross Motor 37.38; Fine Motor 34.32; Problem Solving 25.74 and Personal-Social 27.19).

Weight in grams, weighed on a digital scale

Length in centimeters, top of head to heel, measured with paper tape measure

Head Circumference in centimeters (cm), occipital-frontal, measured with paper tape measure

Report of neonatal vital status within 28 days, obtained in maternal interview

Report of neonatal health status, obtained in maternal interview (e.g., neonatal sepsis, diarrhoea, breathing difficulties)

Neonatal rehospitalization after initial discharge from the hospital assessed by maternal interview or medical records documentation

Documentation of or report of infant death, assessed through medical records or maternal interview

Report of infant morbidity, assessed through maternal interview (e.g., diarrhoea, pneumonia, sepsis, respiratory infections)

Report of infant's adherence to the required vaccinations per national guidelines in Zambia through maternal interview -

Bacille Calmette-Guérin (BCG) - at birth Polio (Oral Polio Virus 0, 1, 2, 3) - birth, 6, 10, and 14 weeks Diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough (pertussis) or DTP, polio, hepatitis B and Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) - DPT-HepB-HiiB (1, 2, 3) - at 6, 10, and 14 weeks Measles - at 9 and 18 months Rotavirus 1, 2 - at 6 and 14 weeks Preumococcal Vaccine (PCV) 1, 2 - at 6, 10, and 14 weeks

A pre-defined set of questions will be asked to determine the barriers contributing to practicing kangaroo mother care (KMC) initiation at the hospital. The Investigators will enroll mothers (n=24), fathers (n=24), and family members (n=24) to undergo in-depth interviews (IDIs).

A pre-defined set of questions will be asked to determine the facilitators contributing to practicing kangaroo mother care (KMC) initiation at the hospital. The Investigators will enroll mothers (n=24), fathers (n=24), and family members (n=24) to undergo in-depth interviews (IDIs).

A pre-defined set of questions will be asked to determine the barriers contributing to practicing kangaroo mother care (KMC) initiation at home. The Investigators will enroll mothers (n=24), fathers (n=24), and family members (n=24) to undergo in-depth interviews (IDIs).

A pre-defined set of questions will be asked to all the mothers to determine the facilitators contributing to practicing kangaroo mother care (KMC) initiation at home. The Investigators will enroll mothers (n=24), fathers (n=24), and family members (n=24) to undergo in-depth interviews (IDIs).

Score on Edinburg Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) screening tool obtained by interview with mother. This screening tool is a 10-question tool validated for use among pregnant women in low resource countries. It can be used for screening of perinatal depression, beginning from antenatal period up to 6-8 weeks postnatal age. Each question is scored between 0-3, the highest cumulative score being 30. Cut-off score for fathers with suspected postpartum depression (PPD) will be 9. All fathers who screen 9+ will be categorized to have PPD, all fathers scoring below 9 will be categorized as negative for PPD.

Time (hours/minutes) spent interacting with the newborn/infant each day obtained by interview with the father

Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) is a 9-question patient-administered screening tool for the assessment of depression among mothers and fathers. Since PHQ-9 can be used repeatedly to monitor depressive symptoms among the same patient/study participant, it will be used at different time points throughout the study. The severity scale is as follows:

1. None: 0-4
2. Mild: 5-9
3. Moderate: 10-14
4. Moderate-Severe: 15-19
5. Severe: 20-27

Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS) is a tool for screening of perceived social support from family, friends, and significant other.] It, a brief and easy-to-follow self-report measure, is a 12-question tool using a 5-point Likert scale (0 = strongly disagree, 5 = strongly agree). It uses positive and negative phrasing to limit response set bias of agreement. Mothers enrolled in the study will be screened using the MSPSS screening tool at 6 and 12 months following enrolment. This total score can also be calculated as a mean score (divide by 12). To calculate the mean subscale scores:

• Significant Other Subscale: Sum across items 1, 2, 5, & 10, then divide by 4.
• Family Subscale: Sum across items 3, 4, 8, & 11, then divide by 4.
• Friends Subscale: Sum across items 6, 7, 9, & 12, then divide by 4.

Scores are divided into:

1. Low support: 1 to 2.9
2. Moderate support: 3 to 5
3. High support: 5.1 to 7

Government funds spent by the government for admission of one newborn to the kangaroo mother care (KMC) ward per day obtained from government sources. This will estimate the average cost per patient admitted to the KMC ward.

Funds spent by the government for readmission of one newborn to the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) per day obtained from government sources. This will estimate the average cost per patient admitted to the NICU.

Funds spent by the government for readmission of one infant to the hospital per day obtained from government sources. This will estimate the average cost per patient readmitted to the hospital.

Funds spent by the family associated with readmission of one infant to the hospital per day obtained from maternal interview. This will estimate the average funds spent by the family per patient readmitted to the hospital.