The document discusses the benefits of breastfeeding for babies, mothers, society, and reducing disparities. It then focuses on the benefits of early skin-to-skin contact (SSC) between mothers and infants. SSC enhances breastfeeding success by allowing infants to recognize their mother's milk odor, increases suckling and milk production, and boosts maternal confidence. The document notes disparities in breastfeeding rates between African American mothers and others, and suggests research on factors contributing to these disparities and the effects of SSC on breastfeeding among African Americans. It recommends hospitals implement policies supporting early and uninterrupted SSC to improve breastfeeding initiation and duration.

1. RESEARCH POSTER PRESENTATION DESIGN © 2012
www.PosterPresentations.com
Breastfeeding benefits babies
• Breast milk contains antibodies that protect against disease
(Surgeon General, 2011)
• Infants who are breastfed exclusively for 6-months have a
lower risk of becoming obese (Surgeon General, 2011)
• Breastfeeding reduces the risk of Sudden Infant Death
Syndrome (SIDS) (Surgeon General, 2011)
Breastfeeding benefits mothers
• Mothers who breastfeed have a decreased risk of breast and
ovarian cancers, type 2 diabetes, and postpartum depression
(Surgeon General, 2011 & Office on Women’s Health, 2011)
• Breastfeeding increases post-partum weight loss (Office on
Women’s Health, 2011)
Breastfeeding benefits society
• If 90% of U.S. families breastfed exclusively for 6- months,
the U.S. would annually save $13 billion from reduced
medical and other costs (Surgeon General, 2011)
• Better infant health means fewer health insurance claims,
less employee time off, and higher productivity (Surgeon General,
2011)
• Breastfeeding is better for the environment, because it limits
trash and plastic waste (Office on Women’s Health, 2011)
Breastfeeding reduces disparities
• “…breastfeeding explains 17% and 9% of the observed gaps
in reading and math scores, respectively, between African
Americans and Caucasians” (Peters et al., 2013)
• Breastfeeding could potentially reduce racial disparities in
infant mortality rates (Chen & Rogan, 2004)
Why is Breastfeeding Important?
Social Determinants
“Early skin-to-skin contact (SSC) is the placing of the naked baby prone on the
mother’s bare chest at birth or soon afterwards” (Moore et al., 2007)
Skin-to-Skin Contact & Breastfeeding Barriers to Early SSC
Research and Policy Implications
(Frieden, 2010)
• Early breastfeeding cessation is more common in African
American women (Chiu et al., 2008)
• Hospitals serving African Americans are less likely to
actively support breastfeeding (Bramson, 2008)
• In 2007, only 8% of African American children were being
exclusively breastfed at 6-months, which was the lowest of
any racial category (NIS et al., 2013)
Effects of Early Skin-to-Skin Contact on Exclusive Breastfeeding Rates at 6-
Months in African Americans
Deanna Kerkhof
Northeastern University
(Women’s Health USA, 2011)
References
Breastfeedingstl. (2013, May 13). Skin-to-Skin Breastfeeding. [Web log comment]. Retrieved from
http://breastfeedingstl.blogspot.com/2013/05/skin-to-skin-breastfeeding.html
Bramson, L. M. (2008). The Association of Maternal Intention to Breastfeed, Early Skin-to-Skin Mother/infant
Contact, and Exclusive Breastfeeding During the Maternity Hospital Stay. Ann Arbor, MI: ProQuest
LLC
Chen, A., Rogan, W. J. (2004). Breastfeeding and the Risk of Postneonatal Death in the United States. Pediatrics
113 (5): 434-440.
Chui, S., Anderson, G. C., Burkhammer, M. D. (2008). Skin-to-Skin for culturally Diverse Women Having
Breastfeeding Difficulties During Early Postpartum. Breastfeeding Medicine 3 (4): 231-237.
Frieden, T. (2010). A Framework for Public Health Action: The Health Impact Pyramid. American Journal of
Public Health. 100(4):590-595.
Gray, L., Watt, L., Blass, E. M. (2000, January). Skin-to-Skin Contact is Analgesic in Healthy Newborns.
Pediatrics 105 (1): 1-6.
Hung, K. J., Berg, O. (2011, October). Early Skin-to-Skin After Cesarean to Improve Breastfeeding. The
American Journal of Maternal/Child Nursing 36 (5): 318-324.
Keister, D., Roberts, K. T., Werner, S. L. (2008, July 15). Strategies for Breastfeeding Success. American
Academy of Family Physicians 78 (2): 225-232.
Micarelli-Sokoloff, A. (2010, May 19). Why Breastfeeding Rates are Lowest Among Black Women. Retrieved
from http://babygooroo.com/2010/05/why-breastfeeding-rates-are-lowest-among-non-hispanic-black-
women/
Moore, E.R., Anderson, G.C., Bergman, N. (2007). Early skin-to-skin contact for mothers and their health
newborn infants (Reviews). Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 3: 1-44.
National Immunization Survey (NIS), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Department of Health
and Human Services (HHS). (2013, July 31). Provisional Exclusive Breastfeeding Rates by Socio-
demographic Factors, Among Children Born in 2007. Retrieved from
http://www.cdc.gov/breastfeeding/data/NIS_data/2007/socio-demographic.htm
Office on Women’s Health. (2011, August 04). Breastfeeding. Retrieved from
http://www.womenshealth.gov/breastfeeding/why-breastfeeding-is-important/index.html
Peters, K. E., Huang, J., Vaughn, M. G., Witko, C. (2013). Does Breastfeeding Contribute to the Racial Gap in
Reading and Math Test Scores? Annals of Epidemiology 23: 646-651
Phillips, R. (2013). The Sacred Hour: Uninterrupted Skin-to-Skin Contact Immediately After Birth. Newborn
and Infant Nursing Reviews 13: 67-72.
Surgeon General. (2011, January 11). The Surgeon General’s Call to Action to Support Breastfeeding. Retrieved
from http://www.surgeongeneral.gov/library/calls/breastfeeding/factsheet.html
Women’s Health USA. (2011). Breastfeeding. Retrieved from
http://www.mchb.hrsa.gov/whusa11/hstat/hsrmh/pages/232b.html
Research
• Expand on the underlying factors contributing to disparities
in the implementation of SSC in African American mothers
• Attempt to quantify the benefits of SSC on breastfeeding
specifically in African Americans, who may experience
additional challenges upon discharge
• Seek to determine the dose of SSC that optimizes
breastfeeding success
Policy
• Hospitals offering maternity services should have up-to-
date birthing policies that include the application of early
SSC
• Future policies should influence hospitals in predominantly
African American communities to make SSC the norm
SSC allows the infant to recognize their own mother’s milk odor, which enhances mouthing
movements and suckling competence (Moore et al., 2007)
Infants who are allowed uninterrupted SSC and who self-attach to the mother’s nipple may
continue to nurse more effectively, which will increase milk production and weight gain
(Moore et al., 2007)
SSC enhances a mother’s sense of mastery, resulting in increased confidence; confidence is
a strong predictor of breastfeeding duration (Moore et al., 2007)
Gomez found that infants were eight times more likely to breastfeed spontaneously if they
spent more than 50 minutes in early SSC, and concluded that the dose of SSC might be a
critical component regarding breastfeeding success (Moore et al., 2007)
According to The Cochrane Review, early skin-to-skin contact resulted in statistically
significant and better overall performance on all measures of breastfeeding status and
duration (Moore et al., 2007)
Additional Benefits of Early SSC
Supports optimal infant brain development (Phillips, 2013)
Provides physiologic stability
“…stabilizes newborn’s respiration and oxygenation, increases glucose levels… warms the infant… reduces stress
hormones, regulates blood pressure, decreases crying and increases the quiet alert state” (Phillips, 2013)
Protects against the negative effects of maternal separation (Phillips, 2013)
Increases maternal satisfaction (Hung & Berg, 2011)
Provides analgesic effects
Reduces crying and grimacing (Gray, Watt & Blass, 2000)
Prevents rise in heart rate that normally accompanies heel lance (Gray, Watt & Blass, 2000)
(Breastfeedingstl, 2013)
Improving Breastfeeding Rates Through Early Skin-to-Skin Contact
• Delivery room and postpartum hospital routines
significantly disrupt early-maternal-infant interactions (Moore
et al., 2007)
• Lack of privacy, modesty, overcrowding, supplemental
bottle use, and rooming policies may inhibit the
effectiveness of SSC (Moore et al., 2007)
• Lack of culturally relevant information and images on
African American women utilizing SSC (Micarelli-Sokoloff, 2010)
• Using a warm perceptive person to implement clinical SSC
interventions in African American mothers has shown to increase
the initiation of breastfeeding (Chiu et al, 2008)
• Altering delivery room and postpartum hospital routines to
promote the implementation of SSC has shown to increase
breastfeeding levels (Moore et al., 2007)
• According to Frieden (2010), the former intervention, which seeks
to change the context in order to make SSC the default practice,
has more potential to influence SSC because it reaches broader
levels of society and requires less individual effort
(Micarelli-Sokoloff, 2010)