Beneficial effects of postnatal skin-to-skin contact.
In a randomized trial, Bystrova et al. examined the traditional neonatal practice of swaddling. They demonstrated that extended skin-to-skin contact with the mother is the most effective way to maintain the infant's temperature and decrease the "stress of being born".


CONCLUSIONS
Only through research such as that reported by Bystrova et al. can the advantages or disadvantages of routinely accepted perinatal practices be evaluated.
Department of Pediatrics, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio, USA. jhk3@po.cwru.edu
J H
JH
Kennell
S K
SK
McGrath
D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D018743:Perinatal Care; D012867:Skin; D014110:Touch