Impact of Premature Birth and Delayed Cuddling on Maternal Support Needs and Satisfaction With Postnatal Care and Changes in Support Over Time.
Achim Fieß, Alica Hartmann, Alexander K Schuster and 8 others
PMID 41263207WHAT IT FOUND
Mothers of preterm infants and those who experienced delayed first physical contact reported higher needs for administrative, social, and medical support.
While satisfaction with physician care was higher in preterm groups, delayed contact was linked to lower satisfaction with midwifery care.
Key findings
01Mothers of infants born at 29-32 weeks and those who experienced delayed first physical contact had significantly higher odds of reporting a need for more administrative support.
02Delayed first physical contact was associated with lower satisfaction with midwifery care, whereas higher birth weight percentile was associated with greater satisfaction.
03Mothers of preterm infants in all gestational age groups reported significantly higher odds of rating physician care as good compared to mothers of term infants.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they found
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What it does not show
The study was conducted at a single center in Germany with universal health insurance, so findings may not apply to other healthcare systems like the US. The design is retrospective and relies on self-reported data from parents, which introduces potential recall bias. The study is exploratory, and no adjustment for multiple testing was performed, increasing the risk of false-positive findings. The custom-designed questions about support needs were not based on previously validated scales. Selection bias may be present as some participants opted out or were difficult to reach.
Declared interests
One author (A.K.S.) holds a professorship endowed by 'Stiftung Auge' and receives research support from several companies including Allergan, Bayer, and Novartis. The study was funded by the Ernst-und-Berta-Grimmke-Stiftung and the Else Kröner-Fresenius-Stiftung.
The easy way to misread this
Do not interpret the higher satisfaction with physician care among preterm groups as a sign that overall postnatal support was adequate. These same mothers reported significantly higher unmet needs for administrative, social, and medical support, and delayed first contact was specifically linked to lower satisfaction with midwifery care.
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