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Breastfeeding is the optimal method of feeding infants during the first period of their lives. The aim of this study was to analyze the impact of hospital procedures on the onset of lactation, presenting the relationship between maintaining skin-to-skin contact and the time of attaching an infant to the mother’s breast, the course of first breastfeeding, feeding methods, suctioning an infant’s airway after birth and the type of delivery. The study was conducted using a diagnostic survey. The questionnaire contained 31 closed and semi-open questions concerning hospital procedures that could affect the lactation process. The respondents were primiparous and multiparous women in an early postpartum period who gave birth through the abdominal wall or vaginally. The study included 154 women aged 18–45 years who gave birth at the Department of Maternal-Fetal Medicine and Gynecology of Pomeranian Medical University in Szczecin, Hospital in Police (Poland). The collected material was analyzed statistically using the χ2 test. Based on the obtained results, the following conclusions were drawn: the onset of lactation was influenced by early skin-to-skin contact after birth with simultaneously attaching the baby to the breast, vaginal birth after the 37th week of pregnancy, and the duration of labor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Neonatology is a constantly developing branch of medicine. As it has developed, there has been a reduction in mortality rates among prematurely born infants. The main problem faced by premature infants is respiratory disorders. The frequency of neonatal respiratory failure is inversely proportional to the gestational age and the maturity of the gas exchange system. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of steroid therapy in pregnant women on the occurrence of respiratory distress and the need for respiratory support in premature neonates. Materials and methods: The study covered 100 premature infants born in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit of Zdroje Specialist Independent Public Health Care Centre in Szczecin. The newborns were divided into research groups, which consisted of newborns with prenatal steroid therapy, and a control group, which consisted of newborns without steroid therapy. The study was retrospective and was carried out based on the analysis of medical records. Results: Breathing disorders were more frequent in newborns who had received steroid therapy before birth than in children without steroid therapy. Respiratory failure occurred in children who had received both 1 or 2 doses of prenatal steroid therapy. A similar percentage of children, with and without the use of steroid therapy, required mechanical ventilation. Continuous positive airway pressure was applied both in children who had received steroids during pregnancy and those who had not. However, newborns who had received steroids during pregnancy required respiratory support for a shorter time. Conclusions: 1. Prenatal steroid therapy does not reduce respiratory disorders in prematurely born children. 2. Respiratory support is required more often by newborns without steroid therapy during pregnancy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Breastfeeding is the optimal method of feeding children during the first period of their life. The correct management of lactation is essential for proper breastfeeding initiation which would be continued long enough. Many factors have a huge impact on lactation, among others mode of delivery, parturition, hospital procedures and practices, such as suctioning the airway, ‘skin to skin’ contact, feeding the baby, and the competent support of the staff. The aim of the study was to analyze the impact of selected procedures related to childbirth and post-natal care, as well as hospital practices on lactation., Materials and Methods: The study involved 145 women who gave birth in the Department of Foetal Medicine and Gynaecology Pomeranian Medical University in Szczecin located in Police, West Pomeranian Province in Poland. The research was carried out by a diagnostic survey with a self-authorship questionnaire., Conclusions: 1. Some hospital practices, such as suctioning the airway, short ‘skin to skin’ contact after cesarean delivery, and complementary feeding of a newborn baby with a bottle had negative impact on maintaining lactation. 2. Complementary feeding of an infant with a bottle was a frequent hospital practice. As the procedure has an adverse impact on lactation, breastfeeding should be replaced by complementary feeding in an alternative way only in justified cases. 3. Most of the patients who obtained support during lactation were breastfeeding exclusively. Competent assistance in initiating and maintaining lactation is the responsibility of the medical personnel, thus there is a necessity for their permanent development, and a constant need to modify hospital practices to ones that affect lactation favourably.

Introduction: It has long been known that gynaecological examination causes a lot of negative emotions for most women. The aim of the study was to learn the views of women on the issue of gynaecological examination., Materials and Methods: The study involved 1200 women from the West Pomeranian and Łódź provinces in Poland., Results: The majority of non-pregnant women considered gynaecological examination to be embarrassing. The most embarrassing moment of the visit for the respondents from both groups was lying down on the gynaecological chair, and the most unpleasant stage of examination was palpation through the vagina. The greatest sense of security and mental comfort during the examination was provided by the presence of only the gynaecologist. Most pregnant respondents prefer to be examined by a male gynaecologist. Respondents would most willingly have examinations with a doctor who is nice, talkative, calm, smiling and mature. Most of the pregnant surveyed women claimed that the gynaecological examination is very necessary, while only 49% would appear for it once every 6 months., Conclusions: 1. Gynaecological examination was significantly more embarrassing and stressful for women who were not pregnant. 2. In the opinion of pregnant women, breast examination is the least embarrassing stage of the examination. 3. Pregnant women significantly more often chose a man as their gynaecologist. 4. The frequency of having a gynaecological examination depended significantly on the status of pregnancy. 5. The expectations of the surveyed women to a gynaecologist focused mainly on him/her maintaining a sense of intimacy and security, on informing the women on the procedures taken, as well as on a nice and individual approach.