The role of skin-to-skin contact in exclusive breastfeeding: a cohort study

OBJETIVE To understand the role of exposure to skin-to-skin contact and its minimum duration in determining exclusive breastfeeding at hospital discharge in infants weighing up to 1,800g at birth. METHODS A multicenter cohort study was carried out in five Brazilian neonatal units. Infants weighing ≤ 1,800g at birth were eligible. Skin-to-skin contact time was recorded by the health care team and parents on an individual chart. Maternal and infant data was obtained from maternal questionnaires and medical records. The Classification Tree, a machine learning method, was used for data analysis; the tree growth algorithm, using statistical tests, partitions the dataset into mutually exclusive subsets that best describe the response variable and calculates appropriate cut-off points for continuous variables, thus generating an efficient explanatory model for the outcome under study. RESULTS A total of 388 infants participated in the study, with a median of 31.6 (IQR = 29–31.8) weeks of gestation age and birth weight of 1,429g (IQR = 1,202–1,610). The exclusive breastfeeding rate at discharge was 61.6%. For infant’s weighting between 1,125g and 1,655g, exposed to skin-to-skin contact was strongly associated with exclusive breastfeeding. Moreover, infants who made an average > 149.6 min/day of skin-to-skin contact had higher chances in this outcome (74% versus 46%). In this group, those who received a severity score (SNAPPE-II) equal to zero increased their chances of breastfeeding (83% versus 63%). CONCLUSION Skin-to-skin contact proved to be of great relevance in maintaining exclusive breastfeeding at hospital discharge for preterm infants weighing 1,125g–1,655g at birth, especially in those with lower severity scores

Early Empiric Antibiotic Use Is Associated With Delayed Feeding Tolerance in Preterm Infants: A Retrospective Analysis

The causative factors of neonatal feeding intolerance are poorly understood, but potentially related to clinical practices such as empiric antibiotic usage. The objective of this study was to evaluate whether early empiric antibiotic exposure negatively affects preterm infants' enteral feeding tolerance. Data from infants without risk factors for sepsis, 500 to 1499 g birth weight and 24 to 34 weeks gestational age were analyzed. The primary outcomes were the empiric antibiotic exposure effects on the infants' total parenteral nutrition usage duration and prevalence of necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC). Among the 901 infants included, 67 were exposed to early empiric antibiotic. A 50% increase in parenteral nutrition usage duration and a 4-fold greater prevalence of NEC was seen in the early empiric antibiotic-exposed neonates, when compared with control infants (P<0.01). Early empiric antibiotic exposure appears to negatively influence preterm infant feeding tolerance and possibly contributes to NEC.Brazilian Ministry of HealthUniv Sao Paulo, Fac Med Ribeirao Preto, Sao Paulo, BrazilUniv Sao Paulo, Fac Med Sau Paulo, Sao Paulo, BrazilUniv Fed Sao Paulo, Escola Paulista Med, Sao Paulo, BrazilInst Med Integral Prof Fernando Figueira IMIP, Recife, PE, BrazilUniv Fed Maranhao, Hosp Univ, Sao Luis, BrazilUniv Estadual Campinas, Fac Ciencias Med, Sao Paulo, BrazilUNESP, Fac Med Botucatu, Botucatu, SP, BrazilFiocruz MS, Inst Fernandes Figueira, Rio De Janeiro, BrazilPUC Porto Alegre, Fac Med, Porto Alegre, RS, BrazilUniv Fed Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, RS, BrazilUniv Estado Rio De Janeiro, Rio De Janeiro, BrazilUniv Fed Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, MG, BrazilUniv Fed Uberlandia, Uberlandia, MG, BrazilFac Ciencias Med Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, MG, BrazilUniv Sao Paulo, Hosp Univ, Sao Paulo, BrazilHosp Estadual Sumare, Sumare, BrazilHosp Geral Pirajussara, Taboao De Serra, BrazilHosp Estadual Diadema, Diadema, BrazilUniv Estadual Londrina, Londrina, BrazilUniv Fed Parana, Curitiba, Parana, BrazilUniv Toronto, Toronto, ON, CanadaUniv Fed Sao Paulo, Escola Paulista Med, Sao Paulo, BrazilBrazilian Ministry of HealthWeb of Scienc