The Effects of Skin-to-Skin Contact on Breastfeeding Choice at Discharge

Context: Mothers today are increasingly more likely to choose delivery by C- section rather than vaginally. With the increase in C-section deliveries comes increased concern regarding breastfeeding. Skin-to-skin contact between a mother and a newborn has been shown to have an effect on breastfeeding. Objective: This study investigated the effects on breastfeeding choice for mothers that delivered by C-section and received skin-to-skin contact in the Operating Room or Post-Anesthesia Recovery unit after birth. Previous studies have shown that skin-to-skin contact following birth promotes breastfeeding. Breastfeeding has been shown to provide many benefits to newborns, so it is important for healthcare providers to be aware of the best practices for promoting breastfeeding. The study looked for a correlation between skin-to-skin contact and mothers’ decisions regarding breastfeeding at time of discharge. Design: A randomized control trial was conducted to analyze data from chart reviews. Setting: This study was conducted at a large hospital in the Northwest Arkansas area from Nov. 2013-Feb. 2014. Participants: Participants included mothers who had a C-section delivery and received skin to skin contact in the PACU or OR. There were 51 women included, and the mean age was 28. Interventions: A chart auditing tool was used to collect pertinent data. These were completed by RNs caring for the mother. Main outcome measures: The dependent variable in this study was the mother’s breastfeeding choice at discharge. This was recorded using the audit tool, and a t-test was utilized to determine correlation. Results: 68% of women did not change their feeding preference at discharge. 8% of women changed from bottle to breastfeeding, while 16% changed from breastfeeding to both. 8% of women changed from bottle feeding to both. In 69.23% of mothers, skin to skin contact did not influence their decision to breast feed following discharge. In 30.77% of mothers, skin to skin contact did influence their decision to breast feed following discharge. Fisher’s Exact Test Pro