Effectiveness of an Early Skin-to-Skin Contact Program for Pregnant Women with Cesarean Section: A Quasi-Experimental Trial.

Abstract

This study aimed to clarify the effectiveness of early skin-to-skin contact (SSC) after a cesarean section (CS) program. An "early SSC after CS" program was implemented at a tertiary care hospital in Tanzania. A non-equivalent group design was used. A questionnaire was used to collect data on exclusive breastfeeding, breastfeeding intention, Birth Satisfaction Scale-Revised Indicator (BSS-RI) score, perioperative pain with a visual analogue scale, and infant hospitalization for infectious diseases and diarrhea at 2-3 days postpartum. Follow-up surveys were conducted until 4 months postpartum regarding exclusive breastfeeding, breastfeeding intention, and hospitalization of the infants. This study involved 172 parturient women who underwent CS, with 86 in the intervention group and 86 in the control group. The exclusive breastfeeding rates at 4 months postpartum were 57 (76.0%) in the intervention group and 58 (76.3%) in the control group, with no significant difference. The BSS-RI score was higher in the intervention group (7.91, range 4-12, SD 2.42) than in the control group (7.18, range 3-12, SD 2.02) (p = 0.007) for women who underwent emergency CS. The survival probability for infants hospitalized owing to infectious diseases, and diarrhea was significantly higher in the intervention group (98.5%) than in the control group (88.3%) (χ2 = 5.231, p = 0.022) for multiparas. The early SSC after CS program showed a positive effect on the birth satisfaction of women undergoing emergency CS. It also reduced the incidence of infants hospitalized owing to infectious diseases and diarrhea for multiparas.