Effect of Immediate versus Early Skin-to-Skin Contact after Cesarean Section on Maternal and Neonatal Outcomes within the First 24 Hours: A Quasi-Experimental Study
Nigerian journal of clinical practice, cilt.29, sa.8, ss.852-863, 2026 (SCI-Expanded, Scopus)
- Yayın Türü: Makale / Tam Makale
- Cilt numarası: 29 Sayı: 8
- Basım Tarihi: 2026
- Doi Numarası: 10.4103/njcp.njcp_711_25
- Dergi Adı: Nigerian journal of clinical practice
- Derginin Tarandığı İndeksler: Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-EXPANDED), Scopus, EMBASE, MEDLINE, Biomedical Reference Collection: Corporate Edition (EBSCO)
- Sayfa Sayıları: ss.852-863
- Anahtar Kelimeler: Anxiety, breastfeeding, early skin-to-skin contact, immediate skin-to-skin contact, maternal hemorrhage, neonate
- Gazi Üniversitesi Adresli: Evet
Özet
BACKGROUND: In Türkiye and moderate-income developing countries, skin-to-skin contact (SSC) is not a routine practice and is often neglected, especially after a cesarean. AIM: The aim of this research was to evaluate the effect of immediate and early SSC after cesarean on maternal and neonatal parameters in the first 24 hours. METHODS: This quasi-experimental clinical study involved 92 mother-neonate pairs. Uninterrupted 40-minute SSC was implemented within the first 5 minutes in the immediate SSC (ISSC) group and within the first hour after cesarean in the early SSC (ESSC) group. Routine care was given to the control group. Data collected with the Infant Breastfeeding Assessment Tool, State Anxiety Inventory and maternal-neonatal monitoring timeline. RESULTS: The maternal anxiety scores and hemorrhage amounts were similar between the groups ( P > 0.05). Breastfeeding initiation in the ISSC group was significantly earlier than in other groups ( P = 0.006). The 24 th -hour breastfeeding scores and body temperature of neonates in the ISSC group were found to be significantly higher than those of the control group ( P = 0.032; P = 0.038, respectively). There were no differences between the neonates in terms of pulse, respiratory rate and peripheral oxygen saturation values, crying, postnatal 2 nd hour blood glucose, weight loss, urine and stool outputs ( P > 0.05). However, those in the ESSC group were determined to sleep significantly longer compared to the control group ( P = 0.014). CONCLUSION: Immediate and uninterrupted 40-minute SSC significantly promoted earlier breastfeeding initiation, improved 24-hour breastfeeding success and neonatal thermoregulation. ESSC has been associated with prolonged sleep duration in newborns. Consequently, SSC is a feasible, low-cost intervention that can be incorporated into routine postnatal care.