Exploring the skin-to-skin contact experience during cesarean section

To explore and describe the mother's experience of holding her neonate in skin-to-skin contact (SSC) immediately after cesarean delivery during surgical closure and recovery.

Eleven women between the ages of 23 and 38 years, who had achieved 39.1-40.2 weeks gestational age, participated in an ethnographic study using observations and interviews with the mothers conducted at 24-48 h postdelivery. Interviews were transcribed verbatim and content analysis of both observational notes and transcripts were used to analyze the data.

Findings from this study describe the mother's experience of SSC during cesarean section. The primary theme that emerged was mutual caregiving: the mother-neonatal interaction and their shared and reciprocal relationship and benefits during SSC. Two contextual issues also were illuminated (a) the father's influence on the SSC experience and (b) the cesarean environment.

With cesarean section the most common surgical procedure among American women, advanced practice nurses are in a unique position to encourage and educate women on the use of SSC for their benefit and that of their newborn. Advanced practice nurses are also empowered to influence institutional policy on SSC during cesarean deliveries at the local and national level.