Abstract
Background. Skin-to-skin contact (SSC) plays a significant role in the initiation and continuation of breastfeeding and maintaining and improving the health of infants. The goal of this research was to study the start time and duration of SSC in the labor rooms or operating rooms of the hospitals in Khorasan Razavi province.
Methods. This descriptive study has been done on 714 newborn babies in labor rooms and ORs of governmental hospitals in Khorasan Razavi province from 1399 to 1401 through convenience sampling method. A midwife who did not have any role in the delivery process kept a record of the time of the SSC and its duration after the delivery. In the next stage, probable reasons for not having SSC, the connection of the start time of SSC and its duration with the start time and duration of breastfeeding were studied.
Results. Based on the results of the study, 65% of the cases had SSC after the delivery in labor rooms under study . The mean start time of the SSC was 5.06±12.30 minutes, and the mean duration of the SSC after the birth was 9.28±13.66 minutes. Non-cooperation of the mother (61.38%), the fear of non-sterile environment (8.62%) and hastening the delivery process by the professionals involved (3.79%) were the most common reasons for not having SSC.
Conclusion. In 35% of cases, there was no SSC after birth. Starting the contact early after birth can increase the success rate of breastfeeding.
Practical Implications. According to the results of our study, skin-to-skin contact in our maternity hospitals is not done in one-third of the cases, which is necessary after the birth of babies. Babies who received skin-to-skin contact started breastfeeding earlier and held the breast longer, indicating that skin-to-skin contact facilitates the initiation of breastfeeding and increases its duration. The non-cooperation of the mother is the most common reason for not having skin-to-skin contact. Therefore, providing the necessary information and training to mothers about the importance of skin-to-skin contact in maintaining the health of babies, facilitating the initiation of breastfeeding, and changing the attitudes and behaviors of mothers seems necessary.