Immediate or early skin‐to‐skin contact after a Caesarean section: a review of the literature

Abstract

The World Health Organization and the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund recommends that mothers and newborns have skin-to-skin contact immediately after a vaginal birth, and as soon as the mother is alert and responsive after a Caesarean section. Skin-to-skin contact can be defined as placing a naked infant onto the bare chest of the mother. Caesarean birth is known to reduce initiation of breastfeeding, increase the length of time before the first breastfeed, reduce the incidence of exclusive breastfeeding, significantly delay the onset of lactation and increase the likelihood of supplementation. The aim of this review is to evaluate evidence on the facilitation of immediate (within minutes) or early (within 1 h) skin-to-skin contact following Caesarean section for healthy mothers and their healthy term newborns, and identify facilitators, barriers and associated maternal and newborn outcomes. A range of electronic databases were searched for papers reporting research findings published in English between January 2003 and October 2013. Seven papers met the criteria. This review has provided some evidence that with appropriate collaboration skin-to-skin contact during Caesarean surgery can be implemented. Further evidence was provided, albeit limited, that immediate or early skin-to-skin contact after a Caesarean section may increase breastfeeding initiation, decrease time to the first breastfeed, reduce formula supplementation in hospital, increase bonding and maternal satisfaction, maintain the temperature of newborns and reduce newborn stress.

Mentalizing homeostasis: The social origins of interoceptive inference

“…For example, Weiss and colleagues (2004) observed that infants of mothers who used more stimulating touch during feeding at 3 months had better visual-motor skills and more advanced gross motor development. Other evidence has shown that skin-to-skin contact following Caesarean section may help maintain temperature of newborns and reducing new-born stress (for review, Stevens, Schmied, Burns, & Dahlen, 2014). Studies with older infants have showed that the infant's arousal can be regulated by soothing, touch-based behaviors by their caregivers, in addition to self-soothing behaviors (e.g.…”

Safe Sleep and Skin-to-Skin Care in the Neonatal Period for Healthy Term Newborns

“…27 Further evidence shows a benefit for mothers after cesarean deliveries who practice SSC as soon as the mother is alert and responsive in increased breastfeeding initiation, decreased time to the first breastfeeding, reduced formula supplementation, and increased bonding and maternal satisfaction. 28 Increasing rates of breastfeeding ultimately have short-and long-term health benefits, such as decreased risk of infections, obesity, cancer, and sudden infant death syndrome. 3 The evidence for rooming-in also extends beyond infant feeding practices and is consistent with contemporary models of familycentered care.…”

Critical analyses of the implications of Kangaroo Mother Care on a preterm infant

“…The World Health Organisation recommend that mothers and newborns have skin to skin as soon as the mother is alert and responsive after a caesarean section (Stevens et al 2014). A recent review was carried out to evaluate the evidence on the facilitation of skin to skin contact within one hour following delivery after a caesarean section.…”

“…A recent review was carried out to evaluate the evidence on the facilitation of skin to skin contact within one hour following delivery after a caesarean section. A total of seven papers met the criteria and although evidence was limited, it did suggest that immediate contact not only increased breastfeeding initiation but also increased maternal and bonding satisfaction (Stevens et al 2014).…”