Abstract

Skin-to-skin contact (SSC) is an evidence-based practice with many benefits for mothers and their newborns. The separation of mothers from their babies after cesarean birth delays SSC, which can adversely affect the initiation and the success of breastfeeding. The purpose of this quantitative, quasi-experimental project was to determine if or to what degree the implementation of Hung and Berg's evidence-based protocol for skin-to-skin in the operating room (OR) would increase exclusive breastfeeding rates at discharge for adult women status post a cesarean delivery in a rural Arizona hospital over four-weeks. The Iowa model and Lewin's planned change theory were utilized for the project. The total sample size was 24 women: n =15 in the comparative group and n = 9 in the implementation group. Data were obtained from the facility's electronic medical record (EMR). To analyze the comparative and implementation group data, a Mann-Whitney U test was utilized, and the results revealed (U = 52.5, p = .379). The results revealed there was no statistically significant difference between exclusive breastfeeding rates at discharge between groups. Despite the lack of statistical significance (due to the small sample size and time frame), there was clinical significance noted as there were two more women post-implementation who exclusively breastfed at discharge. Therefore, it is recommended that the practice of SSC be sustained at the project site, and further duplication of the project conducted to include vaginal deliveries over a longer period of time to determine true statistical and clinical significance.

Description

This dissertation has also been disseminated through the ProQuest Dissertations and Theses database. Dissertation/thesis number: 28021822; ProQuest document ID: 2427508371. The author still retains copyright.

Author Details

Simone M. James, DNP, MSN-L, RN, RNC-OB

Sigma Membership

Theta Tau

Type

Dissertation

Format Type

Text-based Document

Study Design/Type

Quasi-Experimental Study, Other

Research Approach

Quantitative Research

Keywords:

Skin-to-Skin Contact, Exclusive Breastfeeding, Kangaroo Care, Cesarean Deliveries

Advisor

Beth Hale

Second Advisor

Lisa Miller-Brody

Degree

DNP

Degree Grantor

Grand Canyon University

Degree Year

2020

Rights Holder

All rights reserved by the author(s) and/or publisher(s) listed in this item record unless relinquished in whole or part by a rights notation or a Creative Commons License present in this item record.

All permission requests should be directed accordingly and not to the Sigma Repository.

All submitting authors or publishers have affirmed that when using material in their work where they do not own copyright, they have obtained permission of the copyright holder prior to submission and the rights holder has been acknowledged as necessary.

Review Type

None: Degree-based Submission

Acquisition

Proxy-submission

Date of Issue

2023-01-10

Full Text of Presentation

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