Aim: To evaluate if early skin-to-skin contact (SSC) improves
breast-feeding (BF) behavior and exclusive BF (EBF) rates in
term infants at 48 h of age. Methods: Term infants born by
normal delivery were randomized at birth to either early SSC
(n = 20) or conventional care (controls; n = 21). SSC was continued
for at least 2 h after birth. Subsequently, one BF session
of the infants was video recorded at about 48 h of life.
The primary outcome, infants’ BF behavior at 48 h of life, was
assessed using the modified infant Breast-Feeding Assessment
Tool (BAT; a score consisting of infant’s readiness to
feed, sucking, rooting and latching, each item scored from 0
to 3) by three independent masked observers. The secondary
outcomes were EBF rates at 48 h and 6 weeks of age and
salivary cortisol level of infants at 6 h of age. Results: Baseline
characteristics including birth weight and gestation
were comparable between the two groups. There was no
significant difference in the BAT scores between the groups
[median: 8, interquartile range (IQR) 5–10 vs. median 9, IQR
5–10; p = 0.6]. EBF rates at 48 h and at 6 weeks were, however,
significantly higher in the early-SSC group than in the