Introduction to Skin-to-Skin Contact
Immediate skin-to-skin contact between newborns and their mothers is increasingly recognized as a crucial practice for enhancing early life health outcomes. A recent Cochrane review underscores the significant benefits of this practice, advocating for its adoption as standard care worldwide. This review, published in the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, highlights the positive impact of skin-to-skin contact on various health metrics for newborns.
Key Benefits of Skin-to-Skin Contact
The review reveals that newborns who experience skin-to-skin contact within the first hour of birth are more likely to benefit from exclusive breastfeeding, optimal body temperature regulation, and stable blood sugar levels. These benefits are crucial for the newborn’s adaptation to life outside the womb, as skin-to-skin contact helps maintain warmth, reduces stress and crying, and supports vital functions such as breathing and heart rate.
Impact on Breastfeeding and Health Systems
The findings indicate that approximately 75% of babies who receive early skin-to-skin contact are exclusively breastfed at one month, compared to 55% of those who do not. Exclusive breastfeeding is associated with numerous health benefits for both mothers and infants, as well as for health systems. Despite these advantages, many health systems continue to separate mothers and infants immediately after birth for routine procedures, hindering the practice of immediate skin-to-skin contact.
Ethical Considerations and Global Recommendations
The evidence supporting skin-to-skin contact is so compelling that the authors of the review advise against further randomized trials that do not include this practice in the control group. The updated review builds on a 2016 update that informed 20 international guidelines, including a recommendation from the World Health Organization (WHO). The latest update incorporates 26 new studies, totaling 69 trials with over 7,000 mother-infant pairs, primarily conducted in high-income countries.
Challenges in Implementation
Despite the strong evidence, the implementation of skin-to-skin contact as standard care faces challenges. In many countries, even those with high-quality healthcare systems, this simple and cost-effective intervention is not yet common practice. The review emphasizes the need for health systems to prioritize the implementation of skin-to-skin contact immediately after birth.
Future Research Directions
While the review includes studies from high- and middle-income countries, it notes a lack of research in low-income settings. Future research should focus on improving study quality and implementation strategies rather than testing the intervention itself. The authors highlight that withholding skin-to-skin contact is now considered unethical, given the substantial evidence of its benefits for newborn health and survival.
Conclusion
The Cochrane review provides robust evidence supporting immediate skin-to-skin contact as a global standard of care after birth. The practice not only enhances newborn health outcomes but also aligns with ethical considerations, as further trials withholding skin-to-skin contact are deemed unjustifiable. Health systems worldwide are encouraged to adopt this practice to improve the health and survival of newborns.
🔗 **Fuente:** https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-10-strong-evidence-skin-contact-birth.html
