Implementation of the first breastfeeding in Warsaw's maternity hospitals

Introduction: Birth is associated with the loss of the comfortable intrauterine environment and the beginning of life in the external environment. The newborn undertakes basic life functions in an environment of stimuli to which his nervous system is particularly sensitive. Some fundamental methods that facilitate adaptation to extrauterine life are skin-to-skin contact and the first breastfeeding. Aim: The aim of the study was to assess the provision of the first breastfeeding after natural delivery in Warsaw's medical facilities.

Material and method: The method of direct observation was used in the study. The research material was collected using the authored observation sheet designed for the purposes of the study. The tests were carried out in 11 Warsaw obstetric facilities with varying degrees of referentiality, in which the management agreed to conduct the study. It was ensured that the data collected would be presented anonymously. The research began in January 2016 and was completed in December 2017.

Results: During the direct contact of the mother with the child, in 97.37% of the cases the newborn was attached to the mother's breast. In 25.01% of the cases, the duration of the first breastfeeding was over 30 minutes, and in the same number of feedings it ranged from 21-30 minutes. The shortest duration of feeding from 1-5 minutes was observed in 5.58% of the cases.

Conclusions: In most cases, the first breastfeeding took place within 2 hours of birth. The initiation of breastfeeding after natural delivery took place during the mother's first contact with the child. In more than half of the cases, the first feeding lasted as long as the specialists recommend - over 20 minutes.