Immediate or early Skin-to-Skin for mothers and their healthy newborns

Moore ER, Brimdyr K, Blair A, Jonas W, Lilliesköld S, Svensson K, Ahmed AH, Bastarache LR,
Crenshaw JT, Giugliani ERJ, Grady JE, Zakarija-Grkovic I, Haider R, Hill RR, Kagawa MN, MbalindaSN, Stevens J, Takahashi Y, Cadwell K

Abstract

Research supports the beneficial effects of immediate maternal-infant skin-to-skin contact(SSC) after all modes of birth on breastfeeding/lactation and neonatal physiology, but little is known about how it might influence maternal physiology, including postpartum blood loss and placental separation time. Despite the findings from the 2016 Cochrane review of skin-to-skin contact, and although the World HealthOrganization (WHO) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) recommend immediate, continuous, uninterrupted SSC after birth,newborn infants are still separated from their mothers during this period in many settings. SSC is less common in low-income and lower-middle-income countries (World Bank classification), which suggests country income level could impact breastfeeding exclusivity. This update integrates the evidence found since 2015 into the review.