The golden benefits of early breastfeeding, skin-to-skin contact with mother

(Dan Tri) - Seemingly simple things like skin-to-skin contact and early breastfeeding help mothers stimulate milk production and limit postpartum hemorrhage. At the same time, they also help babies stabilize their body temperature, and colostrum helps babies develop immunity.

On October 21, Duc Giang General Hospital (Hanoi) was officially recognized by the Ministry of Health as an excellent hospital for breastfeeding practice.

Dr. Vu Thi Thu Nga, Head of the Department of Neonatology, Duc Giang General Hospital, said that the Obstetrics Department currently receives more than 3,000 births each year. In order to provide maximum support to mothers, the hospital has invested in a separate milking room, fully equipped with cups, spoons, steaming and drying tools, and breast pumps.

According to the doctor, in the early stages, the implementation of the model encountered many difficulties. Many mothers felt uncomfortable with prolonged skin-to-skin contact or still maintained the habit of bringing formula milk to the hospital.

Breastfeeding brings many benefits to both mother and baby (Illustration: Tu Anh).

In particular, there are still cases where mothers receive calls for formula milk consultation just a few hours after giving birth. This affects the psychology of mothers in the practice of breastfeeding.

Mr. Nguyen Van Chi, Deputy Director of the Department of Mothers and Children (Ministry of Health ), said that breastfeeding is the most important measure to improve the life and health of children. To ensure that all children are exclusively breastfed, the Ministry of Health has implemented a model hospital for excellent breastfeeding practices.

“This will encourage medical facilities with obstetrics and pediatrics specialties to properly implement the Ministry of Health's guidelines on supporting breastfeeding and early essential newborn care... These interventions will increase the rate of children being breastfed within the first hour after birth and being exclusively breastfed for the first 6 months,” said Mr. Chi.

According to him, to achieve the criteria of an excellent breastfeeding hospital, in addition to the assessment of professional agencies, this is the first time that feedback from mothers and their families has been included as a component of the assessment process.

Specifically, at Duc Giang General Hospital, the rate of skin-to-skin contact for 90 minutes reached 100% for normal births and 63% for cesarean sections. The hospital also implemented the perineum retention technique in normal births from the beginning of 2024. To date, the rate of perineal suturing in women giving normal births has decreased to less than 60%.

Skin-to-skin contact and early breastfeeding not only help mothers stimulate milk production and limit postpartum hemorrhage, but also help babies stabilize their body temperature, increase immunity and strengthen the mother-child bond.

Replicating the model to improve the quality of maternal and child health care

Associate Professor, Dr. Do Dinh Tung, Director of Duc Giang General Hospital, spoke at the event (Photo: Provided by the hospital).

Associate Professor, Dr. Do Dinh Tung, Director of Duc Giang General Hospital, added that this title is not only a joy but also a recognition of the persistent efforts, dedication and love for mothers and children over the past time.

“This is a very difficult title to achieve. Therefore, it is both a great pride and a great responsibility. The hospital will continue to deploy and spread this model to other medical facilities,” Mr. Tung emphasized.

Mr. Vu Cao Cuong, Deputy Director of Hanoi Department of Health, said that achieving this title is not only the hospital's own joy but also the common pride of the capital's health sector in its efforts to care for maternal and child health. This title is both an honor and a great responsibility.

Therefore, he suggested that the hospital continue to maintain and promote the achieved results, and at the same time spread this model to other hospitals in the city.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/suc-khoe/loi-ich-vang-cua-viec-cho-tre-bu-som-da-ke-da-voi-me-20251021215050649.htm