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Eckermann HA, Meijer J, Cooijmans K, Lahti L, de Weerth C. Daily skin-to-skin contact alters microbiota development in healthy full-term infants. Gut Microbes 2024; 16:2295403. [PMID: 38197254 DOI: 10.1080/19490976.2023.2295403] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/17/2023] [Accepted: 12/12/2023] [Indexed: 01/11/2024] Open
Abstract
The gut microbiota is vital for human body development and function. Its development in early life is influenced by various environmental factors. In this randomized controlled trial, the gut microbiota was obtained as a secondary outcome measure in a study on the effects of one hour of daily skin-to-skin contact (SSC) for five weeks in healthy full-term infants. Specifically, we studied the effects on alpha/beta diversity, volatility, microbiota maturation, and bacterial and gut-brain-axis-related functional abundances in microbiota assessed thrice in the first year. Pregnant Dutch women (n = 116) were randomly assigned to the SSC or care-as-usual groups. The SSC group participants engaged in one hour of daily SSC from birth to five weeks of age. Stool samples were collected at two, five, and 52 weeks and the V4 region was sequenced. We observed significant differences in the microbiota composition, bacterial abundances, and predicted functional pathways between the groups. The SSC group exhibited lower microbiota volatility during early infancy. Microbiota maturation was slower in the SSC group during the first year and our results suggested that breastfeeding duration may have partially mediated this relation. Our findings provide evidence that postpartum SSC may influence microbiota development. Replication is necessary to validate and generalize these results. Future studies should include direct stress measurements and extend microbiota sampling beyond the first year to investigate stress as a mechanism and research SSC's impact on long-term microbiota maturation trajectories.
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Affiliation(s)
- Henrik Andreas Eckermann
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Radboud university medical center, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Jennifer Meijer
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Radboud university medical center, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Kelly Cooijmans
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Radboud university medical center, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
- Behavioural Science Institute, Radboud University, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Leo Lahti
- Department of Computing, University of Turku, Turku, Finland
| | - Carolina de Weerth
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Radboud university medical center, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
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Ding L, Chen Y, Zhang W, Song J, Yao X, Wan Y, Huang R. Effect of family integrated care on breastfeeding of preterm infants: A scoping review. Nurs Open 2023; 10:5950-5960. [PMID: 37306324 PMCID: PMC10416000 DOI: 10.1002/nop2.1888] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/27/2023] [Revised: 05/16/2023] [Accepted: 05/29/2023] [Indexed: 06/13/2023] Open
Abstract
AIMS The aims are to describe the key components of family integrated care intervention for preterm infants in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) and assess the impact on breastfeeding outcomes for those infants. DESIGN A scoping review. METHODS We conducted a systematic study search based on the databases, including PubMed, Scopus, Cochrane, Web of Science, MEDLINE, CINAHL, CNKI and Wanfang Database in December 2022. The search time ranged from database establishment to 31 December 2022. Papers by manual searching were also listed on the references. We adopted Joanna Briggs Institute Reviewer's Manual methodology and followed the PRISMA guidelines for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR) to conduct the review. Two independent reviewers filtered the papers, extracted data and synthesized the findings. A table was used to extract data and synthesize results. RESULTS After systematic searching, 11 articles that implemented family integrated care (FIcare) were finally included in this scoping review. By analysing the implementation of this nursing model, we identified seven main components: NICU staff training, parent education, parent participation in infants' care, parent involvement in medical plans, peer support, NICU environmental support and mobile app for parents. Based on the extracted breastfeeding data, this scoping review concludes that family integrated care shows a positive effect on increasing breastfeeding rates at discharge. Through this scoping review, we find that family integrated care is feasible and it can support breastfeeding of preterm infants. Further studies will be needed to provide more evidence that family integrated care could facilitate breastfeeding of preterm infants. IMPACT This scoping review provides evidence for the positive role of family integrated care on breastfeeding outcomes. The analysis may contribute to the implementation of family integrated care. NO PATIENT OR PUBLIC CONTRIBUTION No further public or patient contribution was made in view of the review-based nature of the research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lijing Ding
- Nursing Department, Shanghai First Maternity and Infant Hospital, School of MedicineTongji UniversityShanghaiChina
| | - Yanli Chen
- Nursing Department, Shanghai First Maternity and Infant Hospital, School of MedicineTongji UniversityShanghaiChina
| | - Wenyan Zhang
- Nursing Department, Shanghai First Maternity and Infant Hospital, School of MedicineTongji UniversityShanghaiChina
| | - Jianqi Song
- Nursing Department, Shanghai First Maternity and Infant Hospital, School of MedicineTongji UniversityShanghaiChina
| | - Xiao Yao
- Nursing Department, Shanghai First Maternity and Infant Hospital, School of MedicineTongji UniversityShanghaiChina
| | - Yue Wan
- Nursing Department, Shanghai First Maternity and Infant Hospital, School of MedicineTongji UniversityShanghaiChina
| | - Rong Huang
- Nursing Department, Shanghai First Maternity and Infant Hospital, School of MedicineTongji UniversityShanghaiChina
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Kiragu JM, Osika Friberg I, Erlandsson K, Wells MB, Wagoro MCA, Blomgren J, Lindgren H. Costs and intermediate outcomes for the implementation of evidence-based practices of midwifery under a MIDWIZE framework in an urban health facility in Nairobi, Kenya. SEXUAL & REPRODUCTIVE HEALTHCARE 2023; 37:100893. [PMID: 37586305 DOI: 10.1016/j.srhc.2023.100893] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/09/2023] [Revised: 07/05/2023] [Accepted: 07/20/2023] [Indexed: 08/18/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Three evidence-based midwife-led care practices: dynamic birth positions (DBP), immediate skin-to-skin contact (SSC) with zero separation between mother and newborn, and delayed cord clamping (DCC), were implemented in four sub-Saharan African countries after an internet-based capacity building program for midwifery leadership in quality improvement (QI). Knowledge on costs of this QI initiative can inform resource mobilization for scale up and sustainability. METHODS We estimated the costs and intermediate outcomes from the implementation of the three evidence-based practices under the midwife-led care (MIDWIZE) framework in a single facility in Kenya through a pre- and post-test implementation design. Daily observations for the level of practice on DBP, SSC and DCC was done at baseline for 1 week and continued during the 11 weeks of the training intervention. Three cost scenarios from the health facility perspective included: scenario 1; staff participation time costs ($515 USD), scenario 2; staff participation time costs plus hired trainer time costs, training material and logistical costs ($1318 USD) and scenario 3; staff participation time costs plus total program costs for the head trainer as the QI leader from the capacity building midwifery program ($8548 USD). RESULTS At baseline, the level of DBP and SSC practices per the guidelines was at 0 % while that of DCC was at 80 %. After 11 weeks, we observed an adoption of DBP practice of 36 % (N = 111 births), SSC practice of 79 % (N = 241 births), and no change in DCC practice. Major cost driver(s) were midwives' participation time costs (56 %) for scenario 1 (collaborative), trainers' material and logistic costs (55 %) in scenario 2(collaborative) and capacity building program costs for the trainer (QI lead) (94 %) in scenario 3 (programmatic). Costs per intermediate outcome were $2.3 USD per birth and $0.5 USD per birth adopting DBP and SSC respectively in Scenario 1; $6.0 USD per birth adopting DBP and $1.4 USD per birth adopting SSC in Scenario 2; $38.5 USD per birth adopting DBP and $8.8 USD per birth adopting SSC in scenario 3. The average hourly wage of the facility midwife was $4.7 USD. CONCLUSION Improving adoption of DBP and SSC practices can be done at reasonable facility costs under a collaborative MIDWIZE QI approach. In a programmatic approach, higher facility costs would be needed. This can inform resource mobilization for future QI in similar resource-constrained settings.
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Affiliation(s)
- John Macharia Kiragu
- Department of Public and Global Health, University of Nairobi, Kenya; Department of Nursing Sciences, University of Nairobi, Kenya.
| | | | - Kerstin Erlandsson
- Women's and Children's Health, Karolinska Institutet, Solna, Sweden; Institution for Health and Welfare, Dalarna University, Falun, Sweden.
| | - M B Wells
- Women's and Children's Health, Karolinska Institutet, Solna, Sweden.
| | | | - Johanna Blomgren
- Women's and Children's Health, Karolinska Institutet, Solna, Sweden.
| | - Helena Lindgren
- Women's and Children's Health, Karolinska Institutet, Solna, Sweden; Sophiahemmet University, Sweden.
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Vacaru SV, Scatolin SW, van den Heuvel MI, Beijers R, de Weerth C. Breastfeeding and room-sharing during COVID-19 in the Netherlands: The impact of perinatal healthcare support. Early Hum Dev 2023; 183:105812. [PMID: 37379684 PMCID: PMC10290183 DOI: 10.1016/j.earlhumdev.2023.105812] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/09/2023] [Revised: 06/20/2023] [Accepted: 06/20/2023] [Indexed: 06/30/2023]
Abstract
AIM The recommendations of 6 months of exclusive breastfeeding (EBF) and parent-infant room-sharing (RS) are often not followed. As these early caregiving practices may have been affected by the COVID-19-related restrictions, we documented BF and RS practices in the Netherlands (2020-2021) and the effects of perceived perinatal healthcare support. METHODS Pregnant women and mothers of an infant younger than 6 months (N = 784) completed online questionnaires (e.g., demographic information, the impact of COVID-19 on their lives aspects, infant childcare practices) twice: at the beginning of the pandemic and when the infant reached 6 months of age. RESULTS The pandemic EBF practices mirrored pre-pandemic Dutch reports (17.8 %; Mduration = 3.4 months), while RS rates and duration seemingly doubled (30.6 %; Mduration = 3.98 months). Higher maternal education (r = 0.18) and multiparity (r = 0.08) were significantly associated with longer EBF, and similarly for education (r = 0.17) and multiparity (r = 0.11) with RS durations. Higher perceived perinatal healthcare support predicted shorter RS duration [β = -0.509, t(5,596) = -2.27, p = .023]. CONCLUSION While the COVID-19 pandemic did not impact EBF, it may have promoted RS. The negative association between perinatal healthcare support and RS may suggest that parents who need more support from their providers also experience more challenges adhering to RS recommendations, yet this hypothesis remains to be corroborated.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stefania V Vacaru
- Radboud university medical center, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Nijmegen, the Netherlands.
| | | | | | - Roseriet Beijers
- Radboud university medical center, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Nijmegen, the Netherlands; Radboud University, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
| | - Carolina de Weerth
- Radboud university medical center, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
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Ter Borg S, Koopman N, Verkaik-Kloosterman J. An Evaluation of Food and Nutrient Intake among Pregnant Women in The Netherlands: A Systematic Review. Nutrients 2023; 15:3071. [PMID: 37447397 DOI: 10.3390/nu15133071] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/05/2023] [Revised: 06/27/2023] [Accepted: 06/28/2023] [Indexed: 07/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Nutritional deficiencies during pregnancy can have serious consequences for the health of the (unborn) child. This systematic review provides an updated overview of the available food and nutrient intake data for pregnant women in The Netherlands and an evaluation based on the current recommendations. Embase, MEDLINE, and national institute databases were used. Articles were selected if they had been published since 2008 and contained data on food consumption, nutrient intake, or the status of healthy pregnant women. A qualitative comparison was made with the 2021 Dutch Health Council recommendations and reference values. A total of 218 reports were included, representing 54 individual studies. Dietary assessments were primarily performed via food frequency questionnaires. Protein, vitamin A, thiamin, riboflavin, vitamin B6, folate, vitamin B12, vitamin C, iron, calcium, and magnesium intakes seemed to be adequate. For folate and vitamin D, supplements were needed to reach the recommended intake. The reasons for concern are the low intakes of fruits, vegetables, and (fatty) fish, and the intakes of alcohol, sugary drinks, and salt. For several foods and nutrients, no or limited intake data were found. High-quality, representative, and recent data are needed to evaluate the nutrient intake of pregnant women in order to make accurate assessments and evaluations, supporting scientific-based advice and national nutritional policies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sovianne Ter Borg
- National Institute for Public Health and the Environment, 3721 BA Bilthoven, The Netherlands
| | - Nynke Koopman
- National Institute for Public Health and the Environment, 3721 BA Bilthoven, The Netherlands
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Juan J, Zhang X, Wang X, Liu J, Cao Y, Tan L, Gao Y, Qiu Y, Yang H. Association between Skin-to-Skin Contact Duration after Caesarean Section and Breastfeeding Outcomes. CHILDREN (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2022; 9:children9111742. [PMID: 36421190 PMCID: PMC9688907 DOI: 10.3390/children9111742] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/21/2022] [Revised: 11/09/2022] [Accepted: 11/10/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
We aimed to explore the association between skin-to-skin contact (SSC) duration after caesarean sections (CSs) and breastfeeding outcomes. A prospective study was conducted in four hospitals in China during January and August 2021. A total of 679 participants with singleton pregnancy who delivered by elective CS after 37 gestational weeks using epidural or spinal anesthesia were included. Logistic regression was applied to assess the association between SSC duration and early initiation of breastfeeding (EIBF), as well as the promoting factors for exclusive breastfeeding (EBF) at hospital discharge. Immediate SSC after CSs was strongly associated with higher rates of EIBF (p < 0.001) and EBF at hospital discharge (p = 0.002). The EIBF rates increased with longer duration of SSC, with the at least 90 min SSC group having the highest EIBF rate (74.5%). Skin-to-skin contact durations of at least 90 min, 60−89 min and 30−59 min were significantly associated with 8.53 times (OR = 8.53, 95%CI: 4.94−14.72, Padj < 0.001), 8.04 times (95%CI: 4.68−13.80, Padj < 0.001) and 6.28 times (95%CI: 3.75−10.51, Padj < 0.001), respectively, higher EIBF rates compared to those without immediate SSC. After multiple-testing correction, the rates of EBF at hospital discharge were found to be independent of the duration of SSC (Padj = 0.12). Early initiation of breastfeeding was not a significant predictor of EBF. Our results suggested that SSC is important for EIBF in Chinese baby-friendly hospitals. Skin-to-skin contact should be practiced after CS to promote breastfeeding and providing SSC with longer duration is encouraged to obtain the full benefit; if it is not feasible, a minimum of 30 min SSC could achieve improved EIBF and EBF at discharge.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juan Juan
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Peking University First Hospital, Beijing 100034, China
| | - Xiaosong Zhang
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Peking University First Hospital, Beijing 100034, China
| | - Xueyin Wang
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Peking University First Hospital, Beijing 100034, China
| | - Jun Liu
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Peking University First Hospital, Beijing 100034, China
| | - Yinli Cao
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Northwest Women’s and Children’s Hospital, Xi’an 710003,China
| | - Ling Tan
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Sichuan Provincial Hospital for Women and Children, Chengdu 610045, China
| | - Yan Gao
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Sichuan Provincial Hospital for Women and Children, Chengdu 610045, China
| | - Yinping Qiu
- Department of Neonatology, General Hospital of Ningxia Medical University, Yinchuan 750003, China
| | - Huixia Yang
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Peking University First Hospital, Beijing 100034, China
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +86-10-83573246
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Rheinheimer N, Beijers R, Cooijmans KHM, Brett BE, de Weerth C. Effects of skin-to-skin contact on full-term infants' stress reactivity and quality of mother-infant interactions. Dev Psychobiol 2022; 64:e22308. [PMID: 36282755 PMCID: PMC9539895 DOI: 10.1002/dev.22308] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2022] [Revised: 04/29/2022] [Accepted: 06/09/2022] [Indexed: 01/27/2023]
Abstract
Skin-to-skin contact (SSC) between mothers and their infants has beneficial effects in both preterm and full-term infants. Underlying mechanisms are largely unknown. This randomized controlled trial assessed whether daily SSC in full-term mother-infant dyads: (1) decreases infants' cortisol and behavioral reactivity to a mild naturalistic stressor, and (2) facilitates interaction quality between infants and mothers (i.e., improved maternal caregiving behavior and mother-infant adrenocortical synchrony). Pregnant Dutch women (N = 116) were recruited and randomly allocated to an SSC or care-as-usual condition. The SSC condition performed 1 h of SSC daily, from birth until postnatal week 5. In week 5, mothers bathed the infant (known mild stressor). Infant and maternal cortisol was sampled at baseline, 25 and 40 min after bathing, and infant and maternal behavior was rated. Results did not indicate effects of SSC on infant behavioral and cortisol reactivity to the bathing session. Similarly, no effect of SSC was found on maternal caregiving behavior and mother-infant adrenocortical synchrony. In conclusion, the findings provide no evidence that daily mother-infant SSC is associated with full-term infants' behavioral and adrenocortical stress reactivity or mother-infant interaction quality. Future studies should replicate these findings and unveil other potential mechanisms underlying beneficial effects of SSC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicole Rheinheimer
- Department of Cognitive NeuroscienceDonders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University Medical CenterNijmegenthe Netherlands
| | - Roseriet Beijers
- Department of Cognitive NeuroscienceDonders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University Medical CenterNijmegenthe Netherlands,Behavioural Science Institute, Radboud UniversityNijmegenthe Netherlands
| | - Kelly H. M. Cooijmans
- Department of Cognitive NeuroscienceDonders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University Medical CenterNijmegenthe Netherlands,Behavioural Science Institute, Radboud UniversityNijmegenthe Netherlands
| | - Bonnie E. Brett
- Department of Cognitive NeuroscienceDonders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University Medical CenterNijmegenthe Netherlands
| | - Carolina de Weerth
- Department of Cognitive NeuroscienceDonders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University Medical CenterNijmegenthe Netherlands
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Wang C, Lin Y, Zhang H, Yang G, Tang K, Tian X, Huang X, Xu T. Effectiveness of early essential newborn care implementation in four counties of western China. BMC Health Serv Res 2022; 22:1185. [PMID: 36131341 PMCID: PMC9494779 DOI: 10.1186/s12913-022-08570-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2022] [Accepted: 09/14/2022] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Neonatal survival is a public health concern globally. However, the regional disparity in neonatal mortality between rural counties of western China and urban areas of eastern provinces remains high. Early essential newborn care (EENC), recommended by World Health Organization, refers to a set of cost-effective interventions to improve neonatal health and development outcomes. In this study, we aimed to explore the effectiveness of EENC implementation in four counties of western China. Methods Pre- and post-intervention investigations were conducted in four selected EENC intervention counties and four control counties of four western provinces of China, from June to August 2017 and from December 2020 to April 2021 respectively. A mixed quantitative and qualitative approach was used for data collection and analysis. Data on the coverage of EENC practices were collected via a post-intervention face-to-face questionnaire survey with postpartum mothers before hospital discharge. Hospital-reported data on neonatal health indicators were obtained through mail surveys in both investigations. We also performed semi-structured interviews with policymakers, health staff and postpartum mothers to understand their perceptions about the usefulness of EENC implementation. Results Overall, 599 mother-newborn pairs in the intervention group and 699 pairs in the control group participated in the post-intervention survey. Controlling for the confounding factor of province, the proportion of newborns receiving EENC interventions was higher in the intervention group than in the control group (P < 0.05). Intervention groups in four provinces had higher coverage of: any skin-to-skin contact (99.50% vs. 49.07%); early breastfeeding initiation (within 60 min of birth) (90.84% vs. 80.35%); no medicine applied to the umbilical cord (98.50% vs. 9.73%); routine eye care (93.16% vs. 8.73%); and vitamin K1 administration (98.33% vs. 88.98%). EENC implementation was associated with decreased risk of neonatal diarrhea (OR: 0.326, 95% CI: 0.123, 0.865) and eye infection (OR: 0.147, 95% CI: 0.045, 0.483). Policymakers, health staff and postpartum mothers expressed satisfaction with the EENC interventions, noting a willingness among staff and policymakers to implement and sustain these interventions; the promotion of these interventions within hospital policy; the positive emotions experienced by postpartum mothers; perceived improvements in health; and improvements in support for health workers. Conclusion EENC-recommended core practices (except kangaroo mother care) have been successfully introduced in pilot hospitals. The efficacy of EENC implementation should be highly recognized to accelerate the progress towards its national roll out. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12913-022-08570-6.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chenran Wang
- National Center for Women and Children's Health, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Haidian District, Room 601, No. 12 Da Huisi Rd, Beijing, 100081, People's Republic of China
| | - Yun Lin
- National Center for Women and Children's Health, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Haidian District, Room 601, No. 12 Da Huisi Rd, Beijing, 100081, People's Republic of China
| | - Hanxiyue Zhang
- Vanke School of Public Health, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
| | - Ge Yang
- Vanke School of Public Health, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China.,Division of Neonatology and Center for Newborn Care, Guangzhou Women and Children's Medical Center, Guangzhou, China
| | - Kun Tang
- Vanke School of Public Health, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
| | - Xiaobo Tian
- United Nations Children's Fund Office for China, Beijing, China
| | - Xiaona Huang
- United Nations Children's Fund Office for China, Beijing, China
| | - Tao Xu
- National Center for Women and Children's Health, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Haidian District, Room 601, No. 12 Da Huisi Rd, Beijing, 100081, People's Republic of China.
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Daily mother-infant skin-to-skin contact and maternal mental health and postpartum healing: a randomized controlled trial. Sci Rep 2022; 12:10225. [PMID: 35715486 PMCID: PMC9205929 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-14148-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/13/2021] [Accepted: 06/02/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
This randomized controlled trial examined the effects of a daily hour of mother-infant skin-to-skin contact (SSC) during the first five postnatal weeks, compared to care-as-usual, on maternal depressive (primary outcome), anxiety, stress, fatigue, pain, and delivery-related post-traumatic stress symptoms (PTSS). Prenatal symptom severity and touch discomfort were examined as moderators. Mothers and full-term infants were randomly allocated to SSC or care-as-usual conditions and followed during the first postnatal year. For the total group (intention-to-treat analyses), care-as-usual mothers showed an increase of anxiety symptoms from week 2 to 12, while SSC mothers displayed a stability of anxiety symptoms. Also, care-as-usual mothers showed an initial decrease in fatigue followed by an increase, while SSC mothers showed a decrease from week 2 to 12. In per-protocol analyses, including only the SSC dyads who adhered to SSC guidelines, findings on anxiety, but not fatigue, were replicated. No SSC effects were found for depressive, stress, and pain symptoms. No moderator, dose-response, or 52-week follow-up effects were found. PTSS were low with little variation; consequently, analyses were discontinued. Daily SSC in healthy mother-infant dyads may reduce anxiety and fatigue symptoms, but not depressive, stress, and pain symptoms, during the early postpartum period. Replication studies are recommended.
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