Effect of immediate and continuous mother-infant skin-to-skin contact on breastfeeding self-efficacy of primiparous women: a randomised control trial

Objective: To evaluate the effect of mother-infant immediate skin-to-skin contact on primiparous mother's breastfeeding self-efficacy.

Study design: A randomised control trial.

Settings: The study was conducted in Omolbanin obstetrics hospital (large tertiary hospital), Mashhad, Iran.

Participants: 114 18-35 year-old primiparous, Iranian, healthy and full term mothers who anticipated normal vaginal delivery and intended to breastfeed their babies.

Intervention: Skin-to-skin contact immediately after birth and then controlling breastfeeding self-efficacy at 28 days postpartum.

Main outcome measure: Maternal breastfeeding self-efficacy at 28 days postpartum and success in first breastfeeding and mean time of first breastfeeding initiation.

Results: A total of 92 mother-infant dyads (47 dyads in skin-to-skin care skin-to-skin contact group and 45 dyads in routine care group) were monitored and analysed. In skin-to-skin contact group, breastfeeding self-efficacy was 53.42±8.57 SD as compared to 49.85±5.50 SD in routine care group which is significantly higher in skin-to-skin contact group (p=0.0003). Successful breastfeeding initiation rate was 56.6% in skin-to-skin contact group as compared to 35.6% in routine care group (p=0.02). Time to initiate first feed was 21.98±9.10 SD min in SSC group vs. 66.55±20.76 min in routine care group (p<0.001).

Conclusion: Mother-infant immediate skin-to-skin contact is an easy and available method of enhancing maternal breastfeeding self-efficacy. High breastfeeding self-efficacy increases exclusive breastfeeding duration.