Ideally, KC is followed by full time babywearing once baby is out of NICU and taken home. This Unit is a scary place for a baby and parents, as well. Keeping our babies close will help us to bond, stay connected and get to know each other even more.
I would like to recommend you a book if you are expecting or you have a premature baby. Susan M. Ludington - Hoe, Ph.D with Susan K. Golant: Kangaroo Care, The best you can do to help your preterm infant.
They write about the benefits of kangarooing and also list the studies that proved how much it meant for babies and parents to do KC while they needed to stay in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.
"Kangaroo Care has been studied in depth since 1983 when neonatologists Edgar Rey and Hector Martinez first implemented it in Bogota, Columbia. Kangaroo Care consists of placing a diaper clad premature baby in an upright position on a parent's bare chest - tummy to tummy, in between the breasts. The baby's head is turned so that the ear is above the parent's heart. Due to lack of power and reliable equipment, Kangaroo Care was found to be an inexpensive and very beneficial experience to babies in Bogota. The mortality rate fell from 70 % to 30 %."
Read more: http://www.prematurity.org/baby/kangaroo.html