Health

Early skin-to-skin contact, without interruptions, immediately after birth, favors the initiation and subsequent support of breastfeeding.

During the first hour after birth, babies have the ability to initiate suckling at the breast on their own. This is possible if, at their reception, after gently drying their skin and evaluating their breathing, they are placed in prone position directly on the skin of the mother's abdomen and chest, without interfering with contact. To achieve this, newborns require time, around 45 minutes to 2 hours after birth.

To support countries in adapting their response to different COVID-19 scenarios, the World Health Organization (WHO) Department of Maternal, Newborn, Child and Adolescent Health and Ageing commissioned this scoping review of published and grey literature. The objective was to identify interventions implemented to maintain the provision and use of essential services for MNCAAH during disruptive events and to summarize lessons learned during these interventions.