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Esra GUNEY
Inonu University, Turkey
ScientificTracks Abstracts: Gen surg: Open Access
With maternal-fetal attachment, an emotional bond is formed between mother and fetus. This bond established during pregnancy increases throughout pregnancy and reaches a very strong level with mother-baby contact right after birth. Skin-to-skin contact is a method in which the baby's skin-to-skin contact with the mother is ensured in order to balance and calm the baby's body temperature. In addition, since it facilitates the adaptation between mother and baby, skin-to-skin contact and mother-infant bonding should be initiated and encouraged in the early period. In a study, it was determined that skin-to-skin contact applied to mothers who had just given birth increased postpartum mother-infant attachment. Skin-to-skin contact, in addition to triggering sensory stimuli, causes an increase in maternal oxytocin release. With the increase of oxytocin, the mother calms down and social sensitivity increases, it can support attachment by improving parenting attitudes. Crying is less common in babies who have skin-to-skin contact with their mother after birth. Baby and mother confidently touch and bond with each other. Skin-to-skin contact is also very important for the psychological and physical development of premature babies. It is seen that a better mother and baby bonding occurs with repeated skin-to-skin contact in preterm babies, the satisfaction of spending time with the baby increases, better breastfeeding is possible, the heart and respiratory system works better in late premature babies, and body temperature is better preserved. In addition, skin-to-skin contact in premature babies has been found to have a pain-relieving effect on the baby. Attachment is a very strong bond that develops between mother and baby, making the baby feel secure. The beginning of attachment in the early period is important for the baby's mental and physical development as well as gaining a sense of trust. Preterm babies, who are highly sensitive, have a much higher risk of developing certain diseases, and attachment is adversely affected in this case. Skin-to-skin contact is both an effective and safe practice to further strengthen the mother-baby relationship in these babies.
Esra GÜNEY has a PhD in midwifery from Inonu University. She is working as a fulltime Assistant Professor at midwifery department in İnönü University Faculty of Health Sciences.
