Implementing skin-to-skin contact in the operating room following cesarean birth

Abstract

Immediate skin-to-skin contact (SSC) after birth benefits the health of mothers and newborns by increasing breastfeeding rates, stabilizing the newborn's temperature, and encouraging bonding (Moore, Anderson, Bergman, & Dowswell, 2012). Although immediate SSC after a vaginal birth was common practice at our hospital, it was rare in the operating room (OR) following a cesarean birth. To address this practice problem, we conducted a project to evaluate the feasibility of implementing SSC in the OR.