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Observational Study
. 2024 Dec;113(12):2637-2642.
doi: 10.1111/apa.17388. Epub 2024 Aug 23.

Longer skin-to-skin contact after birth enhances breastfeeding quality and duration: A cohort study

Einav Schlesinger  1 , Keren Hatiel  2   3 , Neomi Hod  2   3 , Eric S Shinwell  1   2   3
Affiliations
Observational Study

Longer skin-to-skin contact after birth enhances breastfeeding quality and duration: A cohort study

Einav Schlesinger et al. Acta Paediatr. 2024 Dec.

Abstract

Aim: Skin-to-skin contact (SSC) immediately after birth may improve breastfeeding outcomes. This study explored the effect of the duration of SSC in the delivery room on breastfeeding quality and duration.

Methods: In this prospective observational cohort study, mother-infant pairs practising SSC were categorised into two groups based on SSC duration (≤45 or >45 min). Outcomes included breastfeeding quality in the delivery room and at 24 h of age assessed by the Infant-Breastfeeding Assessment Tool (IBFAT) score, and long-term breastfeeding duration up to 6 months while accounting for potential confounding variables.

Results: The study included 72 mother-infant pairs. SSC for more than 45 min was significantly correlated with longer immediate breastfeeding (65 vs. 19 min, p < 0.001) and higher breastfeeding quality scores immediately after birth (IBFAT score of 10 vs. 7, p < 0.001). Regarding the long-term effect, infants in the extended SSC group were breastfed longer (5.2 vs. 3.7 months, p = 0.005) and had exclusive breastfeeding (4.7 vs. 2.7 months, p > 0.001). No significant confounding variables were identified.

Conclusion: Extended SSC (>45 min) correlated with prolonged, higher-quality breastfeeding after birth and longer successful breastfeeding.

Keywords: breastfeeding; kangaroo mother care; lactation; neonatal; skin‐to‐skin contact.

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References

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