Best practice guidelines for skin-to-skin contact following birth

Abstract

The purpose of this thesis was to develop an educational pamphlet with best practice guidelines for expectant parents and nurses about skin-to-skin contact. The research conducted for this thesis focused on the benefits of skin-to-skin contact for mothers, pre-term infants, and term infants following both vaginal and cesarean deliveries. Skin-to-skin contact has been referred to as the optimal form of care for a newborn (Erlandsson, Dsilna, Fagerberg, & Christensson, 2007). When skin-to-skin contact does not occur following birth, the most common reasons are lack of education among parents and lack of collaboration of the healthcare team (Zwedberg, Blomquist, & Sigestad, 2013). Some of the benefits skin-to-skin contact has to offer for mothers is as a reduction in anxiety, depression, and postpartum hemorrhage (Moore, Anderson, & Bergmen, 2009). Some of the benefits of skin-to-skin contact for infants is a reduction in sepsis, infection, and hypothermia. Pre-term infants are also more likely to breastfeed and gain more weight daily if they engage in skin-to-skin contact (Conde-Agudelo & Díaz-Rossello, 2016). Implementing an educational pamphlet within the setting of a childbirth class would provide expecting parents with evidence-based information on the benefits and feasibility of skin-to-skin contact.