Skin-to-skin contact entails an efficient and straightforward approach of bonding a mother to a newborn. The practice greatly influences mortality and the well-being of the mother and newborn. Zwedberg, Blomquist and Sigerstad (2015) argue that h ow a newborn is welcomed into the mother's life is very critical. How the newborn is welcomed may have a positive or negative impact that may have long or short term repercussions ( Aghdas, Talat & Sepideh, 2014) . According to Fischer (2019) and Phillips (2013) skin-to-skin contact has demonstrated multiple benefits from the human lactation to initiation while at the same time lowers the rate of hospitalization in the initial period of the infants' life. This literature review will highlight the evidence gaps in the research, a comparison of the authors' practice, and concluding remarks on the same.
Sink-to-skin contact with the mother does stimulate the infants' internal processes to undergo nine instinctive phases of change that include the first cry, slackening, awakening, action, relaxation, crawling, acquaintance, suckling, and sleep. According to Widström, Brimdyr, Svensson, Cadwell, and Nissen (2019) t he first hour of an infant's birth is often characterized by a unique feeling and experience between the mother and the infant. It is often called "the special hour," as it is regarded as a susceptible period ( Brazelton, 2018) . Their physiological state usually supports the entire period, the newborns' high levels of catecholamine, and the mother's oxytocin levels. The United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF) and the World Health Organization (WHO) outlined in step four of the ten steps to successful breastfeeding that mothers should initiate "immediate and uninterrupted SSC as soon as possible to help facilitate breastfeeding. The initial steps are critical as it helps in reduced maternal stressful levels, increased breastfeeding, and reduced bleeding. Mothers increased oxytocin levels are significantly linked to mother-newborn bonding.
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Gaps in the Research
Although the study was carried out in a natural setting, it failed to consider the personal experiences of some of the participants who may have different cultural aspects. For example, despite outlined steps and considerations during the skin-to-skin contact, some individuals could have had differing customs and traditional practices that could have been critical in establishing a collective recording and narrative. These may have played a crucial role in the overall midwifery implications for some of the participants. Failure to consider cultural expectations, especially during the enlistment of the participants, excluded an essential aspect of stereotypical assumptions that are essential in such a study ( Essa & Ismail, 2015) . Another gap was the exclusive exclusion of some participants whose role could have brought in differing implications, especially on the part of establishing a collective recording and narrative with the primary purpose of finding a characteristic resonance with other midwifery practices undertaken globally ( Crenshaw, 2014) . The study also failed to consider instances in which the mother is not breastfeeding but bottle-feeding. How different would the scenario of skin-to-skin contact be in the case of bottle-feeding due to unavoidable circumstances?
Individual practice establishes that skin-to-skin contact immediately after birth is a once in a lifetime opportunity that, if lost, cannot be relieved. Something exceptional does happen during this extraordinary hour after an infants' birth. Mothers and midwives should never underestimate this hour and experience as it has a fundamental rationale behind it ( Mori, Khanna, Pledge & Nakayama, 2010) . Thus, within the delivery room must undertake all within their responsibility to protect cherish, honor, this special moment for the new family.
Conclusion
Stereotypical conventions concerning cultural experiences do play a critical role in professional situations. Studies in a neutralized environment do show mothers having intimate skin-to-skin with their newborns. Such is the case whether the setting entails bottle-feeding or breastfeeding for the newborns. The approach is critical; especially when it comes to understanding the options midwives and mothers have immediately after a child is born. Mothers need to have a non-judgmental attitude towards coming to terms with mothers' unique needs, especially in situations, the outlined options fit within the recommended protocols and guidelines.
References
Aghdas, K., Talat, K., & Sepideh, B. (2014). Effect of immediate and continuous mother–infant skin-to-skin contact on breastfeeding self-efficacy of primiparous women: A randomised control trial. Women and birth , 27 (1), 37-40. https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Sepideh_Bagheri/publication/258443971_Effect_of_immediate_and_continuous_mother-infant_skin-to-skin_contact_on_breastfeeding_self-efficacy_of_primiparous_women_A_randomised_control_trial/links/5a0a9e7ca6fdcc2736dec128/Effect-of-immediate-and-continuous-mother-infant-skin-to-skin-contact-on-breastfeeding-self-efficacy-of-primiparous-women-A-randomised-control-trial.pdf
Brazelton, T. B. (2018). The earliest relationship: Parents, infants and the drama of early attachment . Routledge.
Crenshaw, J. T. (2014). Healthy birth practice# 6: Keep mother and baby together—It’s best for mother, baby, and breastfeeding. The Journal of perinatal education , 23 (4), 211-217.
Essa, R. M., & Ismail, N. I. A. A. (2015). Effect of early maternal/newborn skin-to-skin contact after birth on the duration of third stage of labor and initiation of breastfeeding. Journal of Nursing Education and Practice , 5 (4), 98-107.
Fischer, K. (2019). Literature Analysis Comparing Mother-Newborn Skin-to-Skin Contact Following Cesarean Section and Vaginal Births (Doctoral dissertation). https://our.oakland.edu/bitstream/handle/10323/6726/Thesis%20Draft%20Two.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y
Moore, E. R., Bergman, N., Anderson, G. C., & Medley, N. (2016). Early skin ‐ to ‐ skin contact for mothers and their healthy newborn infants. Cochrane database of systematic Reviews , (11). https://www.cochranelibrary.com/cdsr/doi/10.1002/14651858.CD003519.pub4/media/CDSR/CD003519/CD003519.pdf
Mori, R., Khanna, R., Pledge, D., & Nakayama, T. (2010). Meta ‐ analysis of physiological effects of skin ‐ to ‐ skin contact for newborns and mothers. Pediatrics International , 52 (2), 161-170.
Phillips, R. (2013). The sacred hour: Uninterrupted skin-to-skin contact immediately after birth. Newborn and Infant Nursing Reviews , 13 (2), 67-72.
Widström, A. M., Brimdyr, K., Svensson, K., Cadwell, K., & Nissen, E. (2019). Skin ‐ to ‐ skin contact the first hour after birth, underlying implications and clinical practice. Acta Paediatrica . https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/apa.14754
Zwedberg, S., Blomquist, J., & Sigerstad, E. (2015). Midwives ׳ experiences with mother–infant skin-to-skin contact after a caesarean section:‘Fighting an uphill battle’. Midwifery , 31 (1), 215-220.
