Safety of Immediate Skin-to-Skin Contact After Vaginal Birth in Vigorous Late-Preterm Neonates

Late-preterm neonates are born between 34 and 36 weeks 7 days gestational age (GA). Neonates born less than 34 weeks GA are at increased risk for morbidity and directly admitted to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). Skin-to-skin contact (SSC) is a standard of care in many units to aid in post-natal transitioning. Current guidelines published by the Neonatal Resuscitation Program (NRP) and American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommend only "vigorous, term" neonates initiate immediate SSC. There is no published data regarding safety or guidelines relating to late-preterm neonates and immediate SSC. Therefore, the investigators hypothesize that post-natal transitioning after immediate SSC within the first hours after birth will be no worse for vigorous, singleton 35 0/7 to 36 6/7 week neonates compared to those who transition to SSC after an initial period of 20 minutes observation under the radiant warmer.