The Influence of Breastfeeding Initiation on Newborn Body Temperature

Abstract

Newborns are not yet stable in adequate temperature control, making them vulnerable to heat loss. Early breastfeeding initiation is a factor that affects the temperature of the baby. The mother’s skin becomes a thermoregulator or thermal synchrony to warm the baby. The purpose of this research was to determine the influence of early breastfeeding initiation on newborn body temperature. The research was a pre-experimental study with a one-group pretest-posttest design. Participants were newborns born in Midwife Dina Mardiana in July 2019. A digital thermometer was used to measure the baby’s temperature. The data analysis technique used was paired sample t tests. The results showed that early breastfeeding initiation had a significant influence on newborn body temperature (p < 0.001). The average body temperature increased by 0.46724 ∘C after early breastfeeding initiation. Keywords: early breastfeeding initiation, newborn body temperature, newborn