Skin-to-skin After Delivery in Preterm Infants Born at 28-32 Weeks of Gestation

Skin-to-skin After Delivery in Preterm Infants Born at 28-32 Weeks of Gestation. A Randomized Controlled Trial

The aim of the study is to investigate physiological response, social/emotional response and general movements in preterm infants when they are given skin-to-skin contact with the mother (intervention) or standard care (incubator) right after delivery. Preterm infants will be randomized to either intervention or standard care group. Data on body temperature, blood glucose, hart rate, respiration rate and oxygen saturation will be obtained. In addition the infant will be video-recorded during the first 24 hours and at three months of age for analysis of the general movements.

Power calculations are based on a difference in Bayley Scale of Infant Development III, cognitive scale at two years corrected age of about 7,5 mean score =0.5 SD (α=0,05, β=0.80). Based on this analysis, 64 preterm infants are needed in each group to yield statistic significance. Allowing for withdrawals, the sample size is set to 68 in each group.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Preterm infants at 28-32 weeks of gestation (born 12-8 weeks before term)

Exclusion Criteria:

• Infants who need immediate medical interventions