Skin-to-skin contact (SSC) is a well-known strategy to stabilize newborns early postpartum and to improve the likelihood of breastfeeding within the first 2 hours after birth. A landmark study in 2021 demonstrated that immediate SSC for very low birth weight premature infants is associated with decreased infant mortality. Despite the connection between improved breastfeeding rates and improved health among newborns who experience SSC early postpartum, there has not been evidence of the effect of SSC on milk production.
The authors of this manuscript designed a prospective cohort study of 100 medically stable infants born <35 weeks gestation admitted to a level 3 NICU in Florida, USA in 2019-2020. The mothers of eligible infants were asked to document their frequency and duration of SSC, and the caregiver for SSC. Other data collected included birth weight, gestational age, ethnicity, race, type of pump used, and volume of enteral intake. The final analysis included 46 dyads, 45% Caucasian, 32% African American, and 39% Hispanic.
The researchers found that infants who experienced SSC at least once weekly ingested higher volumes of MOM than infants who did not have regular SSC. In addition, greater duration of SSC was associated with higher pumped milk volumes. This effect was seen in the 3rd and 4th week postpartum but not in the first and second week.
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