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NeoReviews Vol.8 No.2 2007 e55
© 2007 American Academy of Pediatrics

International Perspectives

Skin-to-skin Contact: A Paramount Contribution to the Modern Neonatal Paradigm

^* Chairman, Department of Pediatrics, Del Salvador University School of Medicine B.A.; Chief, Neonatal Unit, Mother-Infant Hospital R. Sarda, Buenos Aires, Argentina; Consultant, Rockefeller University, New York, NY

The first 20% of the full text of this article appears below.

	Introduction

 
It is of paramount significance to understand clearly the substantial difference between an excellent innovation and real progress in modern neonatal assistance. Real progress is built on those interventions (actions) that can be implemented worldwide and whose tested beneficial effects are long-lasting or better, last forever.

One such advance has been the rediscovery of the oldest beneficial stimulation for humans: the somatosensory stimulation produced by the special and deep contact between infants and mothers, represented by skin-to-skin contact. The kangaroo care technique involves placing babies naked in the prone position on their mothers’ bare chests for early, prolonged, or even continuous skin-to-skin contact.

	Benefits of Skin-to-skin Contact

 
Numerous studies have documented the clear benefits of this simple technique on the physiologic and emotional well-being of infants and mothers, especially for preterm babies. (1)(2)(3)(4) Elegant studies and reviews have assessed its short- and long-term effects on infant vital functions and successful development, prompting the World Health Organization to recommend that skin-to-skin contact be available in neonatal environments. (5) Among the beneficial findings of investigations of . . . [Full Text of this Article]

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