Study of Immediate Skin-to-Skin Contact After Vaginal Birth in Moderate and Late Preterm Infants Effects on Gene Expression and Infant Development

What this Trial Is About

Researchers are investigating the effects of early skin-to-skin contact in moderate and late preterm infants, specifically those born between 32 07 and 36 67 weeks gestation via vaginal delivery. This study aims to understand how immediate skin-to-skin contact influences gene expression in the stress signaling pathway and whether it improves short- and long-term developmental outcomes compared to immediate separation after birth. The research seeks to explore a possible link between early skin-to-skin contact and lifelong stress tolerance and neurodevelopment. Participants are randomly assigned to one of two groups after birth. One group will have the infant separated from the mother and placed in another room for cardiopulmonary monitoring for at least 20 minutes. The other group will have immediate skin-to-skin contact with the mother for 60 minutes while the infants cardiopulmonary adaptation is closely monitored by medical staff. This comparison will help assess the effects of the intervention. Throughout the study, researchers will evaluate gene expression related to the stress signaling pathway at 36 to 72 hours after birth, as well as at corrected ages of 6 and 24 months. Additional assessments include mother-child interaction, infant movements, maternal depression, social support, breastfeeding, parental bonding and stress, and hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis reactivity. These measurements will provide insight into the infants developmental progress and the long-term impact of skin-to-skin contact. Participation involves monitoring during hospitalization and follow-up assessments up to two years of age.

Continuous Delivery Room Skin-to-skin-study for Moderate and Late Preterm Infants