Skin to Skin Contact of Newborn with Their Mother

This study examines the evidence-based practice of skin to skin contact of newborn babies with their mother as a standard of care without risk factors. It discusses the problems related to avoiding skin to skin contact, issues arising from failure in implementation, suggestions for improvement, initiatives to promote skin to skin contact, and the education needed for proper implementation. The study emphasizes the need for awareness, guidelines, training, and counseling to ensure the benefits of skin to skin contact are realized in every hospital.

Running head: SKIN TO SKIN CONTACT OF NEWBORN WITH THEIR MOTHER.
Study On Skin to Skin Contact of Newborn as Standard of Care Without Risk Factors.
Name of Student:
Name of University:
Date:

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Introduction
The aim of the project is to critically examine the evidence-based practice of skin to skin
contact. Skin to skin contact of newborn babies with their mother is standard of care that needs to
be implemented in every hospital without risk factors. The project deals with problem-related
with avoiding SSC and several issues that arises due to failure in implementation of skin to skin
contact. Further, many initiative steps are highlighted to promote SSC in every hospital. To
encounter these problems various suggestions and educational need is also delivered to get better
patient outcome.
Problem Statement
The major problem of today’s health care sector is ignorance of skin to skin contact of
newborn babies with their mother. The obstetrician often instructs nurses to take the babies in a
warmer environment to perform assessments rather than giving to their mother. However, SSC
should perform soon after delivery (Chan,Valsangkar, Kajeepeta, Boundy & Wall, 2016). Many
hospitals do not have any specific guideline to include SSC as effective approach and if some
have, the obstetrician doctors and nurse are unproductive in taking an initiative to monitor it as
because they concentrate more on completing the formalities (Moore, Bergman, Anderson &
Medley, 2016). The problem is significant as because SSC encourages newborn physiological
stability and help in establishing infant sleep (Ludington-Hoe, 2015). Thus, the problems need to
be addressed and improvised.
Raised Issue Related to The Problems
There are several issue that arrived by ignorance of skin to skin contact of infant with
their maternal mother. There is lack of trained nurses and health care staffs to conduct SSC. In-

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spite of standard norms put by the hospital, the nurses do not follow, or some of them are not
even aware of it, and they generally monitor their own process (Phillips, 2013). Disinterest is
also noticed in several doctors and nurses to follow the standard norms to perform SSC.
(Stevens, Schmied, Burns, & Dahlen, 2014). OB Doctors are not in agreement to implement SSC
as a standard of care in their hospital. It is known that recommended time for SSC is about an
hour, and this calls for team cooperation; however, nurses are not sensitized to the concept of
SSC (Alenchery et al., 2018). Other issue is presence of less number of health care staff in each
labor room which arises concern over protection of child. Research also say that due to lack of
SSC child development may get highly affected (Feldman, Rosenthal & Eidelman, 2014).
Suggestions
To improve the working environment, quality of care and patient outcome, some of the
suggestion related to SSC are as follows:
 Awareness about the benefit of SSC should be communicated to nurses and obstetrician.
 Standard guideline for nurses and doctors should be set to perform SSC efficiently.
 Both obstetrician and nurse shall be given training to encourage SSC.
 Family member should be allowed to get into labor room, as this might assist in
establishing SSC (KoopmanCallaghan‐Koru Alaofin, Argani, & Farzin, 2016).
Initiatives
To promote SSC in hospital and to spread awareness about its proper implementation,
some initiative that needs to be taken are as follows:
 Group of experience nurse shall be encouraged to develop guidelines to promote standard
care for newborn through implementing SSC.

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 Written SSC policy will be communicated among all the staff members, nurses and
doctors.
 Training by mean of audio-visual interaction shall be given to comprehend the new
guideline.
 Training will be given all both nurse and obstetrician in order to develop skill for
execution of SSC.
 Antenatal counselling about the benefit and step to follow to establish SSC would be
initiated through sessions and handouts (Armbrust et al., 2016).
Education Need for SSC
SSC being the integral part of practice in for care of newborn there is need to implement
SSC with standard rules, there is a need to educate the nurses and doctors and even the mother
regarding the importance and process of establishing SSC. The women need to know the harmful
consequences of ignorance of SSC faced by the child (Lumbiganon et al., 2016). Apart from this,
the nurses should be educated and guided to follow the rules for proper establishment of SSC. If
such things are supported by the hospital and doctors, there will be great advantageous impact on
quality of care of child as well as patient outcome will be improvised.
Conclusion
Lastly, from the above discussion, it can be concluded that SSC is the valuable care given
to child at the time of birth without any risk factors. However, its application is far from optimal
level. Many guidelines need to be followed by the nursing staff and doctors to follow the rule
strictly. As SSC has several benefits in child development hence, it should be promoted in every
hospital and quality knowledge should be communicated to every staffs and nurse regarding
SSC.

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