As a skin to skin to skin affects premature infants

Scientists have found out that skin contact with a mother has a positive effect on breastfeeding

Photo: allaserebrina/depositphotos

Scientists have found that direct contact « skin to skin » between mothers and premature babies does not improve the cognitive, motor or linguistic development of children under two to three years.

Instead, this practice has a positive effect on the course of breastfeeding and the relationship of the baby with the mother.

This is stated in a study that Posted in the journal Jama Network Open, writes Medicalxpress.

Prematurely born Children who have been born between 28 and 31 weeks of pregnancy have an increased risk of long -term disorders, including cerebral paralysis, cognitive and linguistic development, mental disorders and hearing impairments.

The World Health Organization (WHO) says that early skin to skin to skin between mother and infant can potentially have a protective effect. At the same time, the experts of the organization refer to preliminary data, which indicate the improvement of thermoregulation, reduction of infant mortality and improvement of physiological stability in children.

Scientists have now conducted an open randomized clinical study to assess whether or not their moms have been improving their moms with their moms.

To do this, between 2014 and 2020, they analyzed the experience of 108 children who were born in Norway hospitals for a period of 28 to 32 weeks of pregnancy.

The participants of the study were randomly divided into two groups. The children in the first received immediate contact « skin to the skin » for two hours in the maternity ward. The rest of the newborns received standard care, which included the transfer to the intensive care unit for infants.

Subsequently, at the age of two to three years, scientists evaluated the cognitive development of children, including their linguistic and motor indicators. In addition, scientists have analyzed data on breastfeeding and questionnaires that parents filled.

In the end, the researchers did not find a significant difference in cognitive development between children in two groups – participants had similar Bailey scores and delay risks.

At the same time, children from the group who had immediate contact with the skin showed the best results in breastfeeding. At the time of discharge from the hospital, 84% of such infants were breastfeeding, compared to 67% of the standard care group.

In addition, at the age of 12 months, almost half of the children in the skin (44%) were fed breast milk, and from another group, such a diet had only a quarter of infants (26%).

The authors of the work noted clinically significant improvements in breastfeeding and communication between the mother and the infant in the group of children who had skin to the skin. The results confirm previous studies that have associated such a practice with improving the psychological health of parents and their emotional communication with children.

Researchers believe that skin contact between the mother and the infant can be of practical importance without even affecting the baby’s neuro development.

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