title: Behavior of the Newborn during Skin-to-Skin.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Early skin-to-skin contact (SSC) significantly increases the breastfeeding rate in healthy term infants.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  This study aimed to confirm previously described behavioral sequences during SSC.
  
  
  METHODS
  We recorded live and videotaped infant behavioral sequences during SSC in a cohort of healthy term infants, whose outcome was then evaluated.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We studied 17 mother-infants dyads. While the majority of infants (59%) had behavioral phases that have been previously reported, some of them had alternative sequences. We observed the infant's massage of the mother's breast with its hand during SSC, which had not been previously reported. We found no correlations between behavioral sequence during SSC, breastfeeding, and neonatal outcome. Moreover, maternal pain stimuli did not affect the neonatal SSC behavioral sequence.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our study confirms that immediate and undisturbed postpartum SSC is characterized by specific behavioral phases whose sequence may vary without affecting the suckling rate at the end of SSC, breastfeeding success, or the short-term neonatal outcome.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neuroscience, Psychology, Drug Research and Child Health, Careggi University Hospital of Florence, Florence, Italy cdani@unifi.It.
authors.forename: Carlo
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Dani
authors.affiliation: Department of Neuroscience, Psychology, Drug Research and Child Health, Careggi University Hospital of Florence, Florence, Italy.
authors.forename: Alessandra
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Cecchi
authors.affiliation: Department of Neuroscience, Psychology, Drug Research and Child Health, Careggi University Hospital of Florence, Florence, Italy.
authors.forename: Arianna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Commare
authors.affiliation: Santa Maria Annunziata Hospital of Florence, Florence, Italy.
authors.forename: Gherardo
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Rapisardi
authors.affiliation: Margherita Birth Center, Careggi University Hospital of Florence, Florence, Italy.
authors.forename: Rita
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Breschi
authors.affiliation: Department of Neuroscience, Psychology, Drug Research and Child Health, Careggi University Hospital of Florence, Florence, Italy.
authors.forename: Simone
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Pratesi
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001942:Breast Feeding / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D018730:Infant Behavior; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D060127:Kangaroo-Mother Care Method / Q000523:psychology*; D009034:Mother-Child Relations / Q000523:psychology; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care; D011446:Prospective Studies; D014741:Video Recording
keywords: breastfeeding; infant; maternal pain; skin-to-skin