Care of the Newborn Infant During Maternal-infant Separation: the Father As Primary Caregiver Immediately After Birth and the Mother's Experiences of Separation and Later Reunion with the Infant

Providing care for the newborn might differ in many ways after a caesarean birth or a complicated birth from what we know of care of natural childbirth delivered babies. This book illuminates that from the perspective of the newborn infant, a father?s care immediately following birth and during maternal separation is comparable to the mother?s care, except that a mother can breastfeed. The care was similar to what was previously found with mothers during the first hours after birth. A caregiving model where the fathers hold their infants skin-to- skin, in an upright position on their chest has a positive impact on the infant?s crying, pre-feeding behavior and breathing adaptation and might enhance the subsequent mother-infant reunion. It might be important for parents to be closely involved in the event of cesarean birth including care of the newborn infant. This book should be especially useful to them and to midwives at perinatal education, midwifery education, delivery wards and antenatal clinics. It is also of interest to primary health care nurses in contact with parents during the first week of a baby?s life.