ABSTRACT
Objective:To explore the influence of early essential newborn care (EENC) on breastfeeding after vaginal delivery.Methods:Women with full-term vaginal delivery at Jiaxing Women and Children's Hospital Affiliated to Wenzhou Medical University from January to June 2019 were enrolled in this prospective randomized controlled trial. These participants and their neonates were assigned randomly to receive early skin-to-skin contact for 90 min after delayed umbilical clamping (EENC group) or routine nursing care after delivery and skin-to-skin contact for 30 min (control group). The main outcomes were successful initiation and duration of first-time breastfeeding, initiation time of second-stage lactation, self-efficacy score of breastfeeding, acceptance and satisfaction score of breastfeeding, and the rate of exclusive breastfeeding at 24, 48, 72 h, and 42 d postpartum. The secondary outcomes included the onset time of first deep sleep of the newborn, the baby's first breast-fed stool, and the neonatal weight within 4 days of birth. Two independent samples t-test and Chi-square test were used for statistical analysis. Results:A total of 200 women with full-term vaginal delivery were recruited and 117 (61 in EENC group and 56 in control group) completed the study. (1)Main outcomes: Compared with the control group, the EENC group had earlier initiation of the first breastfeeding [(25.5±6.9) vs (33.2±7.2) min, t=5.902] and the second stage of lactation [(72.1±3.3) vs (78.6±4.3) h, t=9.504], longer duration of the first breastfeeding [(40.6±5.2) vs (32.6±6.1) min, t=7.806], and higher self-efficacy score [(122.5±2.1) vs (98.2±3.1) scores, t=50.660], acceptance score [(21.8±3.1) vs (15.3±4.3) scores, t=9.444], satisfaction score of breastfeeding [(23.2±2.1) vs (18.8±3.1) scores, t=9.278], and higher rate of exclusive breastfeeding at 24, 48 and 72 h after delivery[43% (26/61) vs 21% (12/56), 59%(36/61) vs 36%(20/56), 89%(54/61) vs 64%(36/56); χ 2 were 5.980, 6.353, and 9.663, respectively], all P<0.05. (2)Secondary outcomes: In the EENC group, the onset time of first deep sleep [(90.1±10.6) vs (118.3±9.9) min, t=7.645] and the the baby's first breast-fed stool [(57.1±6.4) vs (66.4±5.5) h, t=8.435] were earlier; neonatal weight at 3 d [(3 720±329) vs (3 558±412) g, t=2.382] and 4 d after birth [(3 778±289) vs (3 562±315) g, t=3.857] were significantly heavier, comparing with the control group (all P<0.01). Conclusions:EENC can improve multiple short-term breastfeeding indicators and maternal acceptance and satisfaction of breastfeeding in women after full-term vaginal delivery.