Immediate Skin-to-Skin Contact After Birth linked to Increased Breastfeeding, Improved infant Health
A new review of evidence, current as of March 22, 2024, suggests that placing newborns on their mothers’ bare skin promptly after birth offers notable benefits, particularly in promoting breastfeeding and aiding the infant’s transition to life outside the womb. The findings reinforce recommendations from leading global health organizations like the World Health Organization (WHO) and UNICEF.
Major health organizations advise that a newborn be placed directly on the mother’s bare skin for at least an hour after birth – a practice known as skin-to-skin contact. Though, this practice isn’t universally adopted, particularly in low- and lower-middle-income countries, potentially contributing to disparities in breastfeeding rates worldwide.
Researchers sought to comprehensively understand the impact of skin-to-skin contact on several key outcomes, including breastfeeding duration and exclusivity, infant body temperature and blood sugar levels, breathing and heart rate, placental delivery time, and maternal bleeding after vaginal birth. To achieve this,they analyzed data from 69 randomized studies encompassing 7,290 mother-infant pairs.
The analysis revealed that women who engaged in immediate skin-to-skin contact with their newborns were “probably more likely to exclusively breastfeed” both at hospital discharge and for up to six months postpartum. This finding underscores the critical role of early contact in establishing prosperous breastfeeding patterns.
beyond breastfeeding, skin-to-skin contact appears to positively influence an infant’s physiological stability.The review indicates that babies experiencing immediate skin-to-skin contact likely exhibit higher body temperatures within the first few hours of life, and increased blood glucose levels. While the temperature difference isn’t considered clinically significant, the boost in blood sugar can be crucial for newborns adjusting to independent respiration and thermoregulation. There is also evidence suggesting potential improvements in infant breathing and heart rate, though the researchers noted lower confidence in these specific findings.
Interestingly, the research suggests skin-to-skin contact may have limited impact on the timing of placental delivery or on maternal blood loss following a vaginal birth. The evidence regarding maternal bleeding was particularly uncertain.
The studies included in the review primarily focused on healthy, full-term babies, with a subset examining women who underwent cesarean births and preterm infants (born between 34 and 37 weeks of gestation). The majority of the research was conducted in high-income and upper-middle-income countries, with a smaller portrayal from lower-middle-income nations like India, Nepal, Pakistan, Vietnam, and Zambia. Notably, no studies were identified from low-income countries.
Despite the promising findings, the researchers acknowledge several limitations. Inconsistencies in how skin-to-skin contact and breastfeeding were defined across studies, as well as potential bias due to awareness among mothers and staff, could influence the results. Furthermore, many of the individual studies involved relatively small sample sizes, with fewer than 100 mother-infant pairs.
“We are moderately confident in most findings,” the researchers stated, “though we are less confident in the results for breathing and heart rate and time to delivery of the placenta, and we are not confident in the result for maternal bleeding.” Further research, particularly in low-income settings, is needed to strengthen the evidence base and address existing uncertainties. .
