It is the desire of most mothers to establish strong and healthy ties with their children. Despite their best efforts, there are some others who are simply unable to create such relationships. Fortunately, research and scientific advances have given rise to interventions which help to foster healthier and positive relationships. In addition, such practitioners as nurses are increasingly playing a vital role in building lasting ties. Even while progress has been made, there are some questions which remain unanswered. One of these questions is whether skin to skin contact between mothers and neonates enhances bonding. A PICOT-based exercise can help to answer this question.
Background
The PICOT question that requires greater attention reads as follows: Does skin to skin contact immediately post birth promote neonatal maternal bonding compared with women who wait at least 30 minutes initiate skin-to-skin? This question is inspired by the need to help new mothers to relate better with their children. Today, immense focus is being placed on establishing a strong foundation between mothers and neonates (Safari et al., 2018). A variety of interventions are being presented as holding the key to helping mothers to build such a foundation. However, most of these interventions are not based on any solid research or scientific knowledge. There is some evidence that skin-to-skin contact promotes healthy bonding. In fact, such bodies as the World Health Organization (WHO) endorse this intervention, finding that it plays a vital role in strengthening bonds (Abdulghani, Edvardsson & Amir, 2018). Despite this endorsement, skin-to-skin contact has yet to gain mainstream acceptance. Therefore, further research into the benefits that it presents is warranted.
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Population
Mothers and their neonates are the primary population on which the PICOT exercise focuses. This population has been selected because of the vulnerabilities and challenges that they grapple with. For instance, according Datta et al. (2017), new and young mothers grapple with such hardships as social isolation and limited support. Depression is also a common challenge among the mothers. Left on their own, these mothers simply lack the capacity to offer proper care to their children. There is therefore a need to develop interventions that improve their experiences and the outcomes of their neonates.
Intervention
The intervention to be addressed is skin-to-skin contact. A cursory search for evidence revealed that there are numerous scholars who are confident that skin-to-skin contact is highly advantageous. For instance, Creenshaw (2014) has led the research community in establishing the positive impact of this intervention on bonding among mothers and neonates. Fieldman-Winter et and Goldsmith (2016) also found that when they engage in skin-to-skin contact with their babies, mothers develop closer, stronger and healthier ties. It is therefore clear that this intervention is evidence-based and highly effective.
Comparison Group
To confirm that skin-to-skin contact actually delivers the purported benefits, it is necessary to work with a comparison group. This group will be comprised of mothers who waited for more than 30 minutes before initiating skin-to-skin contact with their neonates. The group will be important as it will help to rule out the possibility that some other factor is responsible for the outcomes experienced by new mothers who engage in skin-to-skin contact with their babies immediately.
Outcome
Maternal newborn bonding is the outcome of interest. Focus will be given to establishing how skin-to-skin contact affects the bonding between the mothers and newborns. As already noted, available research evidence suggests a positive relationship between the two factors. It is therefore reasonable to expect that the PICOT exercise will yield a similar result.
Time-Frame
The skin-to-skin contact intervention is to be time-bound. It is to be performed immediately following birth and within 30 minutes after birth. The importance of this time frame lies in the fact that it will allow for the effects of the skin-to-skin contact to be established. Additionally, the time frame is vital to limit the scope of the PICOT-exercise and to highlight the difference in the experiences of the participants in the experimental and control groups.
In closing, personally, I feel that skin-to-skin contact is a simple and cost-effective solution that delivers massive benefits. By encouraging new mothers to adopt this intervention, the nursing community plays a vital role in setting the foundation for healthy relations among mothers and neonates. The intervention presents implications for nursing as it challenges nurses to work tirelessly to improve the experiences of new mothers. Additionally, by embracing this intervention, the nurses demonstrate their commitment to alleviate the hardships that new mothers face.
References
Abdulghani, N., Edvardsson, K., & Amir, L. H. (2018). Worldwide prevalence of mother-infant skin-to-skin contact after vaginal birth: A systematic review. Plos One, 13 (10), e0205696.
Creenshaw, J. T. (2014). Healthy birth practice #6: keep mother and baby together- it’s best for mother, baby and breastfeeding. Journal of Perinatal Education, 23 (4), 211-7.
Datta, J., Macdonald, G., Barlow, J., Barnes, J., & Elbourne, D. (2017). Challenges faced by young mothers with a care history and views of stakeholders about the potential for group family nurse partnership to support their needs. Children & Society, 31 (6), 463-74.
Fieldman-Winter, L., & Goldsmith, J. P. (2016). Safe sleep and skin-to-skin care in the neonatal period for healthy term newborns. Pediatrics, 138 (3), e20161889.
Safari, K., Saeed, A. A., Hasan, S. S., & Moghaddam-Banaem, L. (2018). The effect of mother and newborn early skin-to-skin contact on initiation of breastfeeding, newborn temperature and duration of third stage of labor. International Breastfeeding Journal. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13006-018-0174-9
