Pediatria pre prax 4/2013

Support of early contact as a standard not to go below: a chimera, or a future reality?

Continuous contact of mother and child immediately after childbirth is of essential importance for the whole newly formed family and leads to healthy reactions. In the early postpartum period (stages 3 and 4 of labor), unique and unrepeatable hormonal changes occur that, provided there is sustained contact, establish mental and health stability. Continuous skin-to-skin contact between child and mother results in reinforcement of maternal behavior, improved postpartum adaptation and cardiorespiratory stability in the newborn, easier attachment to the breast and rapid onset of lactation as well as reduced postpartum bleeding in the mother, less crying in the newborn, etc. Therefore, support of early contact of the mother (or father or a close person in case the mother is in a life-threatening situation) with the child is the mainstay of good-quality obstetric care.

Keywords: early contact, bonding, separation, childbirth, breastfeeding, skin-to-skin.