The Effect of Very Early Skin-to-Skin Contact on Success ofBreastfeeding
Abstract
To compare the success of breastfeeding at six weeks of life in neonates with and without early skin to skin contact (SSC)
The comparative case control study was conducted at Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, DHQ Teaching Hospital, Gujranwala from 1st November 2024 to 31st March 2025. Non-probability consecutive sampling technique was used. After obtaining ethical committee permission 270 women were selected after fulfilling required selection criteria. Women were divided in two equal groups. In group A, the skin-to-skin contact (SSC) was applied while in group B, the routine care was provided. At the end of 6 weeks, the success of breastfeeding was assessed. Data was analyzed by SPSS 25. A p-value of ≤0.05 was considered as statistically significant.
The mean age was 28.87±6.53 years. The mean gestational age was 39.49±1.69 weeks. Out of 270 babies born, 128(47.4%) were males. The success of breastfeeding was 85(63.0%) in group-A and 57(42.2%) in group-B (p-value 0.001).
The preliminary outcomes of the skin to skin contact demonstrate a notable enhancement in the incidence of successful breastfeeding relative to standard care practices. Validation of the data through studies with larger sample sizes would yield a more comprehensive understanding of the issue.
How to Cite This Article
Mansoor A, Ilyas A, Javed H, Hassan S, Naeem M, Ilyas A. The Effect of Very Early Skin-to-Skin Contact on Success ofBreastfeeding. J Pak Soc Intern Med. 2026;7(1):52–57. doi:10.70302/jpsim.v7i1.2611
Conflict of Interest
All authors declare no competing interests.
Funding
No specific funding was received for this research.
Funder information follows the Crossref Funder Registry standard.
References
- Guala A, Boscardini L, Visentin R, Angellotti P, Grugni L, Barbaglia M, et al. Skin-to-Skin Contact in Cesarean Birth and Duration of Breastfeeding: A Cohort Study. Scientific World J. 2017;4:1940756.
- Safari K, Saeed AA, Hasan SS, Moghaddam-Banaem L. The effect of mother and newborn early skin-to-skin contact on initiation of breastfeeding, newborn temperature, and duration of third stage of labor. Int Breastfeed J. 2018;13(1):32.
- Karimi FZ, Sadeghi R, Maleki-Saghooni N, Khadivzadeh T. The effect of mother-infant skin to skin contact on success and duration of first breastfeeding: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Taiwan J ObstetGynecol. 2019;58(1):1-9.
- Moore ER, Bergman N, Anderson GC, Medley N. Early skin-to-skin contact for mothers and their healthy newborn infants. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2016;11(11):CD003519.
- Sohail R, Rasul N, Naeem A, Khan HI. Kangaroo mother care: need of the day. BMJ Case Rep. 2019;12(12).
- Widstrom AM, Brimdyr K, SvenssonK, Cadwell K, Nissen E. Skin to-skin contact the first hour after birth, underlying implications, and clinical practice. ActaPaediatr. 2019;108(7):1192-204.
- Sharma A. Efficacy of early skin-to-skin contact on the rate ofexclusive breastfeeding in term neonates: a randomized controlled trial. Afr Health Sci. 2016;16(3):790-97.
- Linares AM, Wambach K, Rayens MK, Wiggins A, Coleman E, Dignan MB. Modeling the Influence of Early Skin-to-Skin Contact on Exclusive Breastfeeding in a Sample of Hispanic Immigrant Women. J Immigr Minor Health. 2017;19(5):1027-34.
- Giang HTN, Duy DTT, Vuong NL, Ngoc NTT, Pham TT, Tuan LQ, et al. Prevalence of early skin-to-skin contact and its impact on exclusive breastfeeding during the maternity hospitalization. BMC Pediatr. 2022;22(1):395.
- Goudard MJF, Lamy ZC, Marba STM, Lima GMS, Santos AMD, Vale MSD, et al. The role of skin-to-skin contact in exclusive breastfeeding: a cohort study. Rev Saude Publica. 2022;56:71.
- Sampieri CL, Fragoso KG, Cordoba-Suarez D, Zenteno-Cuevas R, Montero H. Influence of skin-to-skin contact on breastfeeding: results of the Mexican National Survey of Demographic Dynamics, 2018. Int Breastfeed J. 2022;17(1):49.
- Zavala-Soto JO, Hernandez-Rivero L, Tapia-Fonllem C. Pro-lactation cesarean section: Immediate skin-to-skin contact and its influence on prolonged breastfeeding. Front Sociol. 2022;7:908811.
- Singh K, Khan SM, Carvajal-Aguirre L, Brodish P, Amouzou A, Moran A. The importance of skin-to-skin contact for early initiation of breastfeeding in Nigeria and Bangladesh. J Glob Health. 2017;7(2):020505.
- Ekholuenetale M, Barrow A, Arora A. Skin-to-skin contact, and breastfeeding practices in Nigeria: a study of socioeconomic inequalities. Int Breastfeed J. 2022;17(1):2.
- Mikiel-Kostyra K, Boltruszko I, Mazur J, Zielenska M. Skin-to-skin contact after birth as a factor determining breastfeeding duration. Med Wieku Rozwoj. 2001;5(2):179-89.
- Cadwell K, Brimdyr K, Phillips R. Mapping, Measuring, and Analyzing the Process of Skin-to-Skin Contact and Early Breastfeeding in the First Hour After Birth. Breastfeed Med. 2018;13(7):485-92.
- Campos PM, Gouveia HG, Strada JKR, Moraes BA. Skin-to-skin contact and breastfeeding of newborns in a university hospital. Rev Gaucha Enferm. 2020;41(1):e20190154.
- Bedford R, Piccinini-Vallis H, Woolcott C. The relationship between skin-to-skin contact and rates of exclusive breastfeeding at four months among a group of mothers in Nova Scotia: a retrospective cohort study. Can J Public Health. 2022;113(4):589-97.
- Lau Y, Tha PH, Ho-Lim SST, Wong LY, Lim PI, Citra Nurfarah BZM et al. An analysis of the effects of intrapartum factors, neonatal characteristics,and skin-to-skin contact on early breastfeeding initiation. Matern Child Nutr. 2018;14(1):e12492.
- Vila-Candel R, Duke K, Soriano-Vidal FJ, Castro-Sanchez E. Effect of Early Skin-to-Skin Mother-Infant Contact in the Maintenance of Exclusive Breastfeeding: Experience in a Health Department in Spain. J Hum Lact. 2018;34(2):304-12.
Reference list indexed for Google Scholar and ResearchGate. DOI links resolve via doi.org.