Safe, Breastfeeding-Friendly Maternity Care: Skin-to-Skin Contact and Rooming-In

Breastfeeding and infant safety in the hospital are part of the same continuum of care for new mothers. This guidance is for public health professionals, hospital administrators, medical providers, maternity staff and others who care for mothers and newborns.

Practices that support breastfeeding

CDC supports maternity care practices and policies that help mothers breastfeed, including safely putting into practice the Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding and the Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative in U.S. birth facilities.

The Ten Steps include evidence-based practices such as skin-to-skin care and rooming-in. They help mothers start breastfeeding within the first hour and help those who choose to breastfeed keep going, in the hospital and after they go home.

How is your hospital doing? CDC's mPINC Ten Steps Assessment Tool shows how well a hospital is carrying out the Ten Steps, and helps it guide its practices and policies and decide what to improve first.

Skin-to-skin care

The newborn is placed directly on the chest of the mother or another caregiver, with as much skin contact as possible. It helps start breastfeeding, stabilize blood glucose and keep the baby warm. It's encouraged right after delivery for mothers and newborns who are medically stable.

A clinical report from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) sets out how to do it safely right after birth, including positioning the newborn correctly and maximizing contact.

Rooming-in

Mother and baby stay together 24 hours a day during the birth hospital stay. Besides helping breastfeeding, it has other benefits. For safe sleep in the hospital, the AAP recommends:

• close but separate sleep surfaces for mother and baby, with a firm, flat mattress or pad (not tilted or inclined);
• no soft bedding — blankets, pillows, bumper pads or soft toys — in the baby's sleep area;
• putting babies to sleep on their backs.

More

• AAP: Sleep-Related Infant Deaths: Updated 2022 Recommendations
• AAP: Safe Sleep and Skin-to-Skin Care in the Neonatal Period for Healthy Term Newborns
• AAP: Skin-to-Skin Care for Term and Preterm Infants in the Neonatal ICU
• American Heart Association: Neonatal Resuscitation Algorithm
• Baby-Friendly USA: Safety of Baby-Friendly Practices

Sources

Based on "Safety in Maternity Care," Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; a work of the United States government in the public domain.