The Effect of Skin-to-Skin Contact Applied in the Early Postpartum Period on Maternal Pain, Birth Satisfaction, and Maternal Vital Signs Dynamics

December 24, 2025 updated by: Yasemin Dincel, Istanbul University - Cerrahpasa

Skin-to-skin contact (STSC) initiated within the first hour after birth is a fundamental practice that supports both the mother's and the newborn's physiological and psychological adaptation (Çelik & Kök, 2022). The World Health Organization recommends at least 90 minutes of uninterrupted SKC immediately after birth and defines this practice as a mandatory component of care under the Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative (World Health Organization, 2024; Abdulghani et al., 2018; Sharma, 2016). The positive effects of TTT on maintaining the newborn's temperature, glucose regulation, physiological stability, and mother-infant bonding have been proven (Sezici & Yiğit, 2020; Safar et al., 2018). In addition, it has been reported that it can shorten the third stage of labor by increasing maternal oxytocin release and reduce maternal stress and anxiety (Püsküllüoğlu et al., 2022; Harati Kabir et al., 2024).

In the study, mothers in the intervention group will receive one hour of uninterrupted TTT immediately after delivery; routine midwifery care will continue in the control group. In both groups, maternal pain levels, birth satisfaction, and vital signs (body temperature, oxygen saturation, heart rate, and blood pressure) will be assessed immediately after delivery, and at 30, 60, and 90 minutes.

The sample size was calculated using GPower, and a total of 68 participants (34 in each group) will be included in the study. Inclusion criteria include women aged 18 years or older who have had a full-term vaginal delivery and have a single, uncomplicated pregnancy. The data collection tools used will be the Demographic Information Form and the Visual Analog Scale (VAS).

The findings of the study are expected to enhance the quality of midwifery care by supporting the integration of TTT into clinical practice in early postpartum care.

Study Overview

Status

Enrolling by invitation

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

H1: There is a difference in pain scores measured using the Visual Analog Scale (VAS) between the group that received uninterrupted skin-to-skin contact for one hour after birth and the control group immediately after birth, at 30, 60, and 90 minutes.

H1: There is a difference in birth satisfaction scores measured using the Visual Analog Scale (VAS) between the group that received uninterrupted skin-to-skin contact for one hour after birth and the control group immediately after birth, at 30, 60, and 90 minutes.

H1: There is a difference between the group that received uninterrupted skin-to-skin contact for one hour after birth and the control group in terms of maternal body temperature, oxygen saturation, heart rate, and blood pressure measurements taken immediately after birth and at 30, 60, and 90 minutes.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Estimated)

68

Phase

  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • Turkey (Türkiye)
      • Istanbul, Turkey (Türkiye), 34500
        • Istanbul University Cerrahpasa

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Voluntarily agree to participate in the study
  • Be able to read, understand, and write in Turkish
  • Be 18 years of age or older
  • Have given birth vaginally
  • Have given birth to a single baby
  • Be at term (between 38-42 weeks of gestation)
  • Have given birth vaginally in vertex presentation
  • Estimated fetal weight between 2500-4000 grams
  • Not having received any analgesia or anesthesia to relieve pain and fatigue during labor
  • Having a pregnancy without maternal or fetal complications

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Multiple pregnancies
  • High-risk pregnancies with complications

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Supportive Care
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: Triple

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Experimental Group
Immediately after birth, skin-to-skin contact is maintained continuously for one hour. Pain levels, birth satisfaction levels, and maternal vital signs (body temperature, oxygen saturation, heart rate, and blood pressure) are assessed at 30, 60, and 90 minutes postpartum.
Procedure: A solid hour of skin-to-skin contact
Immediately after birth, skin-to-skin contact is maintained for one hour without interruption. Pain levels, birth satisfaction levels, and maternal vital signs (body temperature, oxygen saturation, heart rate, and blood pressure) are assessed at 30, 60, and 90 minutes postpartum.
No Intervention: Control Group
Following delivery, routine midwifery care is provided, and immediately after birth, at 30, 60, and 90 minutes, pain levels, satisfaction with the birth, and maternal physiological findings (body temperature, oxygen saturation, heart rate, and blood pressure) are assessed.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Visuel Analog Scale -Pain
Time Frame: At 30, 60, and 90 minutes after birth
Min: 0- Max:10
At 30, 60, and 90 minutes after birth
Visuel Analog Scale- Birth satisfaction
Time Frame: At 30, 60, and 90 minutes after birth
Min:0-Max:10
At 30, 60, and 90 minutes after birth

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Istanbul University - Cerrahpasa

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: Yasemin Dinçel, Istanbul University - Cerrahpasa

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

Helpful Links

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

May 12, 2025

Primary Completion (Actual)

May 13, 2025

Study Completion (Estimated)

April 15, 2026

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

December 12, 2025

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

December 24, 2025

First Posted (Actual)

December 26, 2025

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

December 26, 2025

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

December 24, 2025

Last Verified

December 1, 2025

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • 2025/332

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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