Table 2. Overview of the barriers and facilitators of KMC prior to clinical stability.

	Facilitators	Barriers
Main themes	Sub-themes	Sub-themes
Family & Community support & involvement	• Financial support from family member • Presence of family member in the hospital • Provision of meals for the KMC mothers	• Caregiver being alone in the hospital. • Maternal morbidity • No other person to do KMC. • Fear of hurting the small baby • Fear of handling the baby• Cultural beliefs
Health workforce	• Supportive & encouraging HCWs to caregivers. • Availability of adequate number of trained HCWs in preterm care • Educating caregivers on KMC practice and its benefits	• Lack of knowledge on benefits of KMC and how to perform it. • Rude and unsupportive HCW • Fear of unstable baby deteriorating
Medical supplies & devices	• Availability of medicine for care of sick newborns and timely treatment • Availability of medical equipment for monitoring sick newborns • Availability of adequate oxygen supply points	• Buying medicines from outside the hospital • Sick newborns missing treatment
Infrastructure and design	• Availability of adequate space with privacy • Adequate number of KMC beds • Clean environment and bathrooms/toilets	Lack of privacyUnclean bathrooms • Overcrowding
Health facility leadership	• Adequate staffing for KMC care • Training of HCW in preterm care • Clear KMC guidelines / policies	• Lack of involvement by the leadership
Financing	• Adequate finances to support recruitment of healthcare worker and infrastructure improvement.	• Not improving budgetary allocation to meet the demand