An updated Cochrane review of 69 randomized trials involving over 7,000 mother-infant pairs shows that immediate or early skin-to-skin contact (SSC) after birth enhances several key neonatal outcomes compared with standard hospital practices. SSC was associated with higher rates of exclusive breastfeeding from discharge up to six months postpartum, along with improvements in infant thermoregulation, blood glucose levels, and cardiorespiratory stability. Although widely recommended by WHO and UNICEF, SSC remains inconsistently implemented across many settings, particularly in lower-income countries, highlighting disparities in early postnatal care practices.
The review found that evidence on maternal physiological outcomes—such as placental separation time and postpartum blood loss—remains uncertain due to small sample sizes and substantial heterogeneity across studies. Overall, the findings support immediate SSC for healthy term and late-preterm infants, regardless of mode of birth, especially within middle- and high-income countries. Researchers emphasize the need for more rigorous and standardized trials to further explore maternal outcomes, long-term child health effects, and mechanisms underlying SSC benefits, noting that randomizing infants to mother-infant separation is increasingly unjustifiable under current global standards.