Comparing the ERAS Protocol and Standard Care for Improving Mother-Infant and Father-Infant Bonding After Cesarean Delivery in a Multicenter Randomized Trial

What this Trial Is About

Researchers are evaluating the impact of the Enhanced Recovery After Cesarean ERAS protocol compared with standard perioperative care on mother-infant and father-infant bonding in women undergoing cesarean delivery. This multicenter, randomized controlled trial aims to assess whether the ERAS protocol can improve early emotional bonding, maternal mental health, breastfeeding initiation, and neonatal outcomes. The study is designed to provide high-quality evidence on psychosocial and clinical benefits of ERAS in cesarean deliveries, an area with limited previous research, especially regarding father-infant bonding. Participants will be randomly assigned to either the ERAS protocol group or the standard care group. The ERAS protocol includes preoperative education and anxiety reduction, multimodal opioid-sparing analgesia during surgery, early oral intake, early mobilization, early removal of urinary catheter, and encouragement of skin-to-skin contact and early breastfeeding with active father involvement. The standard care group will receive routine cesarean perioperative care without these enhancements. The study begins as a single-center trial and will expand to multiple centers once prepared. Participants will be assessed multiple times after cesarean delivery at 2 hours, 24 hours, 4 days, and 7 days postpartum. Researchers will collect data on mother-infant and father-infant bonding using validated questionnaires, maternal depression scores, breastfeeding initiation times, neonatal intensive care needs, and maternal clinical recovery measures. Outcome assessors and data analysts will remain blinded to treatment allocation to reduce bias. The total target sample size is 300 participants across centers, with an initial 100 participants at the first site.

The Effect of the Cesarean ERAS Protocol on Mother-Infant and Father-Infant Bonding: a Multicenter, Randomized Controlled Clinical Trial.