Effect of Immediate Maternal-Neonatal Skin-to-Skin Contact on the Outcomes of the Third Stage of Labor

Background: Third stage of labor is the shortest yet the most treacherous, as it may becompounded by the risk of postpartum hemorrhage (PPH). Managing such perilous stage effectively isan imperative to accomplish a safe outcome for the parturients. Immediate skin-to-skin contact (SSC)upon birth could be a protective strategy to mitigate the frequency and severity of PPH during labor,thus securing a safe positive childbirth experience for the mothers. Objective: To assess the effect ofimmediate maternal-neonatal SSC on the outcomes of the third stage of labor. Settings: This studywas implemented at the labor and delivery unit of El-Shatby Hospital for Obstetrics and Gynecology,affiliated to Alexandria University, Egypt. Subjects: A convenient sample of sixty parturients wasenrolled from the formerly identified setting and equally allocated into a study (30) and a control (30)group. Tools: Three tools were utilized. Tool-I: Basic data structured interview schedule. Tool-II:Third-stage of labor structured assessment sheet. Tool-III: Quantification of maternal blood lossduring the third-stage of labor. Results: Statistically significant differences were revealed betweenboth groups in relation to the outcomes of the third stage of labor. In which a shorter mean durationof the third stage of labor (6.62 ± 2.96 minutes) and less mean amount of blood loss (301.03 ± 51.17ml) was found among the study group parturients than among the control group parturients (11.58 ±2.13 minutes and 389.77 ± 84.25 ml, respectively). Also, higher percentages of the study groupparturients demonstrated a firm contracted uterus located around the level of umbilicus following thedelivery of a complete intact placenta and membranes, with less need for additional therapeuticmeasures relative to the control group ones. Conclusion: Immediate maternal-neonatal SSC producedpositive effects on the outcomes of the third stage of labor. Recommendations: Training programs formaternity nurses would encourage them to adopt the practice of maternal-neonatal SSC.