To provide guidelines for immediate, uninterrupted skin-to-skin contact and mother-newborn couplet care for all newborns and mothers during the initial hours following birth.
Approach:
Guideline Development: The guideline was developed by a group of healthcare professionals across various specialties, with input from patient representatives and extensive reviews from healthcare regions and specialty societies.
Implementation Strategy: The World Health Organization's 2023 strategy emphasizes the inseparability of the mother-newborn dyad in healthcare organization.
Maternal benefits include reduced postpartum bleeding and better blood pressure regulation.
Both mother and infant experience reduced stress, earlier breastfeeding initiation, and enhanced bonding.
Current practices need to be reconsidered for preterm or low-birth-weight infants and those requiring specialized medical interventions.
Interpretation:
The guideline aims to enhance maternal and infant health through evidence-based practices that prioritize continuous skin-to-skin contact and minimize separation.
Limitations:
The implementation requires multidisciplinary collaboration and adaptation of facilities and care processes.
Existing practices may not align with the new recommendations.
Conclusion:
The guideline consolidates evidence-based practices for skin-to-skin contact and couplet care, aiming to improve maternal and newborn health outcomes in Sweden.
by S. Klemming, Vesta Seyed Alikhani, K. Breding, P. Bäcke, S. Elvermark, A. Gustafsson, Å. Hermansson, E. Jonsson, N. Kjellqvist, M. Mattisson, M. Nelander, M-C. Nilsson, A. Nyholm, S. Lilliesköld, Y. Thernström Blomqvist, E. Wilson, S. Arwehed
