Transcript Week 1: Skin-to-Skin Contact

Which of the following is true regarding skin-to-skin
contact for all vigorous newborns?
Should be within the first 30
minutes of delivery.
Should be after a full head-to-toe
assessment has been performed
on the newborn.
Should be immediate and
uninterrupted.
Should be within the first hour
after delivery.
Um, wrong!
Go back and try again. Click here. 
Correct!
Skin-to-skin should be immediate and uninterrupted. If you are a labor nurse or a mother-baby
nurse, when was the last time you encouraged your mom to put her baby skin-to-skin? If you
are an antepartum or triage nurse, when was the last time you educated your patient on the
benefits of skin-to-skin immediately after delivery?
Labor nurses: click HERE to answer a quick 2 question survey about barriers preventing you from
encouraging moms to utilize skin-to-skin.
You may move forward. Click here. 
What is NOT a benefit of skin-to-skin contact?
Thermoregulation
Stabilization of newborn’s heart
and respiratory rate
Improvement of newborn’s oxygen
saturation levels
Promotion of self attachment
Increase in I.Q.
Decrease of maternal depression
Mother’s are more likely to
breastfeed sooner and breastfeed
longer
Increase in mother’s milk supply
Um, try again!
Go back and try again. Click here. 
Correct!
You may move forward. Click here. 
Just a reminder:
• Evidence shows that while skin-to-skin, the infant’s heart rate, breathing,
temperature and blood glucose stabilize.
• Placing a baby skin-to-skin is a good way to help wake up a sleepy baby…it’s like
being next to a bakery : )
• A Cochrane review revealed that placing a baby skin-to-skin immediately or as soon
as possible after birth were twice as likely to still be breastfeeding at one to three
months than those who did not practice skin-to-skin.
Next week: What you need to know about hand-expression.
When placed on the mother's abdomen soon after birth, newborns have the ability to find its
mother's breast all on its own and to decide when to take the first breastfeed. This is called the
'Breast Crawl'.
Breast Crawl – 6 minute video
Breast Crawl – 4 minute video