Neonates in the early-SSC group in our study had
better EBF rates at both 48 h and 6 weeks of age. The
Cochrane systematic review also yielded a significant effect
of SSC on EBF rates at 1–4 months after birth [10 trials,
odds ratio (OR): 1.82, 95% CI 1.08–3.07] [1] . Improved
EBF rates in our study are therefore not surprising. However,
the beneficial effect observed at 48 h in the absence
of a significant difference in the BF scores is perplexing
indeed. Given that EBF rate is a ‘true’ indicator of the ability
to breast feed, the possibility that the BF scores might
not adequately measure this ability cannot be ruled out.