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Objectives We examined progress in the practice of early skin-to-skin contact and rooming-in, and their association with breastfeeding, using national samples of postpartum women in the years 2004 and 2011 in Taiwan. Methods This study was a secondary data analysis using 2004 and 2011 national surveys of 12,201 and 12,405 postpartum women, respectively. Results More women had early skin-to-skin contact in 2011 than in 2004 (54.9% vs 20.6%, p < 0.001). Although fewer women practiced rooming-in in 2011 than in 2004 (33.8% vs 45.8%, p < 0.001), the percentage of women rooming-in for 24 hours improved from 6.1 percent to 22.7 percent from 2004 to 2011, and for rooming-in from 12 to less than 24 hours, the percentage improved from 4.3 percent to 10.9 percent ( p < 0.001). The rate of breastfeeding increased by 50 percent during hospitalization (from 57.4% to 85.6%) and by 150 percent at 6 months postpartum (from 20.1% to 50.2%). After adjustment for background characteristics, women who had early skin-to-skin contact were more than twice as likely to breastfeed their infants during hospitalization, and about 1.2 times as likely to breastfeed at 6 months postpartum. The odds ratio for breastfeeding at 6 months generally increased as the duration of rooming-in increased in 2004 ( OR ranged from 1.37 to 2.47). In 2011, only rooming-in for 12 to less than 24 hours ( OR = 1.31) and 24 hours ( OR = 1.98) daily significantly increased the odds ratio for breastfeeding at 6 months postpartum. Conclusions Significant improvements in early skin-to-skin contact, the duration of rooming-in, and breastfeeding were observed in Taiwan. Early skin-to-skin contact and rooming-in for more than 12 hours were associated with increased chances for exclusive breastfeeding and breastfeeding at 6 months postpartum. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background For safety reasons an in-hospital birth center was replaced by a modified form of birth center care with the same medical guidelines and equipment as in standard care. The aim of this study was to investigate women's and men's satisfaction with modified care compared with standard care. Methods Women in both groups gave birth from July 2007 to July 2008. The same medical low-risk criteria during pregnancy applied to both groups. Of those invited to the study, 547 (82.7%) women in modified birth center care and 445 (66.7%) men returned a questionnaire posted 2 months after the birth, and 786 (71.6%) women and 639 (58.2%) men in standard care. Odds ratios ( ORs) for being satisfied were calculated with 95 percent confidence intervals ( CIs) and adjusted for possible confounders. We also explored the effects of different components of care on overall satisfaction. Results Adjusted ORs for being satisfied overall were approximately doubled in the modified birth center group compared with the standard care group: antenatal care- OR: 2.1 (95% CI: 1.6-2.7) in women and OR: 2.2 (95% CI: 1.5-2.8) in men; intrapartum care- OR: 2.2 (95% CI: 1.7-2.9) in women and OR: 1.7 (95% CI: 1.3-2.4) in men; and postpartum care- OR: 1.7 in women (95% CI: 1.4-2.2) and OR: 2.1 (95% CI: 1.6-2.8) in men. Important explanations of these differences included perception of the midwife as being more supportive, the presence of a calmer environment and atmosphere (intrapartum), and the option for fathers to stay overnight (postpartum). Conclusion In-hospital birth center with medical equipment on site increased overall satisfaction with all episodes of care compared with standard care. ( BIRTH 39:2 June 2012) [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]