A study of the response of neonatal thermoregulation to the early skin-to-skin contact with the mother and/or layered head covering of the neonate

Abstract

This quasi-experimental study of 97 mother-newborn dyads, compared three modalities for thermoregulation of the newborn. After scoring the five minute apgar, random assignment of a sample of convenience was made to determine if skin-to-skin treatment of the mother and newborn was as efficient as the radiant warmer for maintaining the newborn's temperature in the thermoneutral range. The study required approval from the Human Subjects Committee and an informed consent signed by the mother. The mother was entered into the study pending birth of a healthy, stable newborn, had no history of drug abuse, had a healthy pregnancy, no temperature elevation above 3 8. 1 C during labor, received no medications known to lower temperature during labor, delivered vaginally, and remained stable after delivery. The stable newborn was entered in the study with apgar scores of at least seven at one minute and eight at five minutes after birth and with the initial axillary temperature between 36.3C and 37.6C. An axillary temperature measurement was taken every ten minutes, for one-half hour while the newborn remained in the treatment condition. The thirty newborns in Treatment I remained under the radiant warmer, diapered and bare headed. The thirty-three newborns in Treatment II were diapered and placed skin-to-skin with the mother, a cotton sockinette covered the head, and three baby blankets covered the newborn. The 34 newborns in Treatment III were diapered, placed skin-to-skin with the mother, a cotton insert into an acrylic knit cap covered the head, and three baby blankets covered the newborn. ANOVA and Regression analysis were used in data analysis. No statistical difference was found in the means of the temperatures of the three treatment modalities. The hypotheses were supported.