Effectiveness of father skin-to-skin contact on supporting breastfeeding behavior post cesarean section

Objective Paternal early skin-to-skin contact (SSC) following a cesarean section is increasingly recognized as a vital component of maternal and infant care. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of paternal early SSC on rooming-in practices and breastfeeding longitudinal outcomes up to three months postpartum. Materials and methods A quasi-experimental design featuring pre-test, post-test, and repeated measures was employed to assess the effects of paternal-infant SSC after cesarean delivery. Data were collected at four time points: hospital admission and at one, two and three months postpartum. The primary outcomes measured were the rates of parent-child rooming-in and breastfeeding prevalence to determine the efficacy of the SSC intervention. Results A total of 72 parent-newborn dyads participated in the study, with equal allocation to the paternal SSC intervention group and the control group. Participants in the intervention group demonstrated a significantly higher rate of rooming-in compared to the control group ( χ 2 = 5.79, p < 0.05). Furthermore, the intervention group showed significantly higher breastfeeding rates at all follow-up intervals: one month ( χ 2 = 6.92, p < 0.05), two months χ 2 = 7.41, p < 0.05) and three months ( χ 2 = 6.24, p < 0.05) postpartum. Conclusion Early paternal-infant SSC effectively increases rooming-in frequency during hospitalization and sustains higher breastfeeding rates throughout the first three months postpartum. These findings provide an empirical foundation for integrating paternal involvement into perinatal care protocols and breastfeeding support strategies.