4 | DISCUSSION Our results show that the infants' physiological parameters and
the level of wakefulness showed a stable pattern within the normal
range in the three caregiving groups. The infants in the skin-to-skin
contact group had a higher mean heart rate at 45 minutes after
Caesarean delivery than the other two groups, and this higher alert
state lasted until approximately 90 minutes. No significant differ-
ences were noted between the groups when it came to ear tempera-
ture or peripheral oxygen saturation.
The results show that newborn infants can be safely and ad-
equately cared for by their fathers if their mothers cannot take
care of them straight after birth. Another study from the same
sample and hospital setting showed that fathers who took care
of their newborn infants for the first hours after birth developed
a better understanding of their infant's first moments of life and
became more engaged with them as a result.
15
Another paper on
the same cohort reported that the mothers felt that the family
benefitted from the fathers caring for their newborn infant while
they recovered from their Caesarean section and were separated
from their baby.
16
These findings about paternal newborn care are important be-
cause many countries routinely separate both parents from their
newborn infant after Caesarean sections. This is particularly true in
low-income and middle-income countries.
Our study showed that the infants in the skin-to-skin group
showed a specific pattern of wakefulness that was similar to the pat-
tern observed in vaginally delivered infants
5,17
They showed an alert
state from 45 minutes and starts to decrease at 90 minutes, followed
by a drowsy state from 105 to 120 minutes. The infants' prolonged
state of wakefulness in the skin-to-skin group might suggest a
more adaptive state after a Caesarean section, which facilitates the
F I G U R E 4 Means' wakefulness at 45 to 120 minutes after
birth in the three groups: Infant in a cot join is father, infant in the
father's arms, and infant skin-to-skin group
0
1
2
3
4
5
45
60
75
90
105
120
Mean
s
MINUTES