Dear Christine,

There are some great articles that show exactly what you believed:

Bystrova, K., A. M. Widstrom, A. S. Matthiesen, A. B. Ransjo-Arvidson,
B. Welles-Nystrom, C. Wassberg, et al. (2003). "Skin-to-skin contact may
reduce negative consequences of "the stress of being born": a study on
temperature in newborn infants, subjected to different ward routines in
St. Petersburg." Acta Paediatrica 92(3): 320-326. Disponibile a PM:12725547


ABSTRACT:
AIM: To evaluate how different delivery-ward routines influence
temperature in newborn infants. METHODS: A total of 176 newborn
mother-infant pairs were included in a randomized study. The babies were
kept skin-to-skin on the mother's chest (Skin-to-skin group), held in
their mother's arms, being either swaddled or clothed (Mother's arms
group), or kept in a cot in the nursery, being either swaddled or
clothed (Nursery group). Temperature was measured in the axilla, on the
thigh, back and foot at 15-min intervals at from 30 to 120 min after
birth. RESULTS: During this time period the axilla, back and thigh
temperatures rose significantly in all the treatment groups. The foot
temperature displayed a significant fall in the babies in the Nursery
group and this decrease was greatest in the swaddled babies. In
contrast, foot temperature rose in the babies in the Mother's arms group
and in particular in babies in the Skin-to-skin group. Foot temperature
remained high in the Skin-to-skin group, whereas the low temperature
observed in the Nursery group gradually increased and two days after
birth the difference was no longer significant. CONCLUSION: The results
show that delivery-ward routines influence skin temperature in infants
in the postnatal period. Allowing mother and baby the ward routine of
skin-to-skin contact after birth may be a "natural way" of reversing
stress-related effects on circulation induced during labour

or another:
Christensson, K., C. Siles, L. Moreno, A. Belaustequi, F. P. De La, H.
Lagercrantz, et al. (1992). "Temperature, metabolic adaptation and
crying in healthy full-term newborns cared for skin-to-skin or in a
cot." Acta Paediatrica 81(6-7): 488-493. Disponibile a PM:1392359

ABSTRACT:
The aim of the present study was to compare temperatures, metabolic
adaptation and crying behavior in 50 healthy, full-term, newborn infants
who were randomized to be kept either skin-to-skin with the mother or
next to the mother in a cot "separated". The babies were studied during
the first 90 min after birth. Axillary and skin temperatures were
significantly higher in the skin-to-skin group; at 90 min after birth
blood glucose was also significantly higher and the return towards zero
of the negative base-excess was more rapid as compared to the
"separated" group. Babies kept in cots cried significantly more than
those kept skin-to-skin with the mother. Keeping the baby skin-to-skin
with the mother preserves energy and accelerates metabolic adaptation
and may increase the well-being of the newborn

and another about premies:


    Incubators Versus Mothers' Arms: Body Temperature Conservation in
    Very-Low-Birth-Weight Premature Infants

    * Arleen Cornell Mellien, RNC, MS^1 ^1 Arleen Cornell Mellien is a
      neonatal clinical nurse specialist, Infant Special Care center;
      University of California Sun Diego Medical Center.
      <javascript:popRef('a1')>

    *
      ^1 Arleen Cornell Mellien is a neonatal clinical nurse specialist,
      Infant Special Care center; University of California Sun Diego
      Medical Center.

Address for correspondence: Arleen Cornell Mellien, RNC, MS, Infant
Special Care Center, University of California Sun Diego Medical Center,
200 West Arbor Dr., Sun Diego, CA 92103-8690. E-mail: [log in to unmask]
<mailto:[log in to unmask]>.


      Objective:



To determine whether there is a significant difference between the
temperatures of very-low-birth-weight (VLBW) premature infants in the
incubator and in the mothers' arms.


        Design:

Repeated measures, with random assignment to treatment order and the
infants serving as their own controls.


        Setting:

A 40-bed tertiary-level nursery in a university teaching hospital.


        Participants:

A convenience sample of 20 preterm infants weighing 1,095 to 1,500 g and
from 30 to 37 weeks postconceptional age. The infants were screened for
factors that would interfere with temperature maintenance.


        Main Outcome Measures:

Axillary temperatures were measured with an electronic thermometer for
equal periods of time in incubators and mothers' arms. The mean
temperature differences between the two study conditions were compared
using two-tailed tests and repeated analysis of variance (ANOVA). Weight
was monitored and analyzed for evidence of increased metabolic activity.


        Results:

No significant variations were found in the infants' mean temperatures
in the incubator, but the infants were significantly warmer while in
their mothers' arms.


        Conclusion:

VLBW premature infants can maintain a stable temperature in their
mothers' arms without evidence of increased metabolic activity. Nurses
can encourage mothers to hold their infants without fear of cold stress
or weight loss.

I hope this can help you.

Elise Chapin
IBCLC in Florence, Italy


*************
Date:    Tue, 4 Mar 2008 11:19:11 -0500
From:    Christine Lichte <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: skin-to-skin and low rectal temp.
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Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable

Hello. We are working on implementing sts at our hospital and it is
going fairly
well. The nurses have had some positive experiences so that has helped.
Today, one of the nurses commented that baby's temp was low so she put
baby under warmer and wrapped im in a warm blanket. I mentioned that she
could have tried sts. She said she felt she needed to do something right
away
because the rectal temp was 96.8 (full-term, 8.5 pound healthy baby) and
she
didn't want to do sts. She said mom could do sts once the temp. was up.
I did
not take the conversation further because I want to give her good info. not
just me disagreeing with her.  Baby's temp. came up fine with the warm
blankets and warmer so wouldn't sts still have been the best
intervention?  I
think so, but I just wanted to run it by all of you.  The nurses like
the idea of
sts, but they don't see it as a medical intervention.  They still have
the mind
set that it is a good thing to do as long as baby is doing well first. I
just need
some moral support so I can address this. Thanks for your help.

Chrisitne Lichte, IBCLC

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