Effects of Early and Regular Skin-to-Skin Care on Health Outcomes and Breastfeeding in Infants Born at or Before 32 Weeks

What this Trial Is About

Researchers are investigating how standardized skin-to-skin care in neonatal intensive care units NICUs affects preterm infants born at or before 32 weeks of gestation. This multi-center, prospective clinical study led by the Turkish Neonatal Society aims to see if early and regular skin-to-skin contact increases the rate of exclusive mothers milk feeding at discharge and improves clinical outcomes such as reducing neonatal sepsis, intraventricular hemorrhage, necrotizing enterocolitis, and shortening hospital stays. The study involves eight hospitals across Turkey where staff receive training on a protocol for skin-to-skin care. The care is started earlyafter 72 hours for infants born before 28 weeks and as soon as stable for those born between 28 and 32 weeksand is applied regularly for at least one hour per session. Data is collected from two groups infants discharged in the two months before staff training and infants discharged four to six months after training, comparing outcomes before and after the intervention. Participants feeding details and clinical outcomes are recorded during their hospital stay and at discharge. Researchers track the rate of exclusive mothers milk feeding as the primary outcome. Secondary outcomes include rates of serious infections, brain hemorrhage, severe intestinal disease, and hospital stay length. The study continues until discharge, averaging about three months, with data analyzed to understand the impact of the skin-to-skin care protocol.

Impact of Standardized Skin-to-Skin Care on Clinical Outcomes in Infants Born ≤ 32 Weeks: A Multicenter Study