title: OC20 - Skin-to-skin contact in the first hour of life.
abstract: Theme: Child protection and managing risk.
  
  
  BACKGROUND
  Skin-to-skin contact in the first hour of life has benefits for the mother and the newborn, as well as a major role in establishing breastfeeding.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  Determine the prevalence of skin-to-skin contact and breastfeeding within the first hour of life.
  
  
  METHODS
  A systematic review of literature followed by a quantitative and simple descriptive cross-sectional study, according to a non-probability analyzing of 382 clinic records of postpartum mothers.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Evidence that early skin-to-skin contact immediately after birth is a potential sensory stimulus, which covers the newborn warming, tactile and active stimulation, respiratory rates and level of blood glucose, reduces baby crying and promotes breastfeeding. In the sample, about 92.6% of the mothers put the baby to the breast in the first hour of life, but only 26.6% made skin-to-skin contact with the baby.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Despite the scientific evidence of the benefits of skin-to-skin contact immediately after birth, this practice is still not widely used as, according to the study results, and is only applied to one in every four newborns.
authors.affiliation: Instituto Politécnico de Viseu - Escola Superior de Saúde CI&DETS, Portugal.
authors.forename: Manuela
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ferreira
authors.affiliation: Centro Hospitalar Cova da Beira, Portugal.
authors.forename: Tânia
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Vaz
authors.affiliation: Instituto Politécnico de Viseu - Escola Superior de Saúde CI&DETS, Portugal.
authors.forename: Graça
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Aparício
authors.affiliation: Instituto Politécnico de Viseu - Escola Superior de Saúde CI&DETS, Portugal.
authors.forename: João
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Duarte
keywords: Breastfeeding; newborn; skin-to-skin contact.