The Impact of Increased Skin-to-Skin Contact With the Mother in Breastfeeding Neonates on Exclusive Breastfeeding at 4 and 8 Weeks Postpartum

Abstract

Objective: To evaluate dose of skin-to-skin (STS) contact as a nursing intervention to increase the rate of exclusive breastfeeding after dischargeDesign: A descriptive correlational studySetting: A Level II maternity unit in OhioParticipants: Women who had a vaginal delivery of a term, well newborn, with intent to exclusively breastfeedMethods: Newborns were placed STS with their mothers at birth. Mothers were encouraged to maintain frequent STS with their newborns while in the hospital, and kept a log of STS time. A lactation consultant made follow-up phone calls at 4 weeks and 8 weeks postpartum to assess breastfeeding exclusivity. Spearman rho was used to analyze the data.Results: Duration of STS was not correlated with exclusive breastfeeding at either 4 weeks or 8 weeks postpartum. However, early STS was correlated with exclusive breastfeeding at 4 weeks postpartum.

Literacy on Skin-to-Skin Contact

“…The evidence shows that SSC is an accessible practice promoting breastfeeding during the neonatal period [2,5,18], protecting against infections and future allergies [16,19]. Breastfeeding promotes increased blood circulation and temperature in the breast area, promoting breast milk production and helping keep the newborn infant warm [3,5].…”

“…After birth, the newborn infant experiences a sensitive period that enhances positive behaviors development beyond the first day of life [2,5,18]. Furthermore, researchers found that SSC promotes psychosocial health, increasing the infant's perception as an active agent in social interactions in her surrounding space [18].…”

“…Newborn infants who received SSC cry less after the first hour of life [3,5], and mothers and infants experience and exhibit more relaxed behaviors [2,3,5,18]. Mothers experience fewer maternal depression symptoms and postpartum stress [25,26].…”

“…SSC generates feelings of attachment between the mother and her newborn infant, allowing them to recognize each other and respond to the infant's needs in a timely and secure manner [5,18]. Parents who have practiced SSC also feel more confident in caring for their infants [4,5].…”

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“…The varied benefits followed by SSC include the enhancement of autonomic nervous system development, maintenance of infants' physiological stability, and increase of immunity (Butruille et al, 2017;Feldman & Eidelman, 2003). Further benefits are optimization of breastfeeding (Ruxer et al, 2015), facilitation of the parent-infant bonding (Tessier et al, 1998), and mitigation of infants' traumatic experiences in the NICU associated with stress and pain responses (Eliades, 2018;Feldman et al, 2014). A Cochrane review of SSC and neonatal outcomes included 21 randomized controlled trials (RCTs) (n=3042 infants) and presented consistent beneficial effects across a variety of outcomes (Conde-Agudelo & Díaz-Rossello, 2016).…”