Skin-to-Skin Contact and Lavender Aromatherapy After Elective Cesarean: Effects on Cortisol and Early Breastfeeding
Starting soon · Not applicable
Conditions studied: Breastfeeding, Cesarean Section, Postpartum Period, Maternal Stress
In brief
This single-center randomized controlled clinical trial will evaluate the effects of structured early postpartum mother-infant skin-to-skin contact, with or without maternal lavender aromatherapy, after elective cesarean section on maternal stress biomarkers and early breastfeeding outcomes. The study will enroll 150 term pregnant women scheduled for elective cesarean section under spinal anesthesia at Ataturk University Research Hospital. Participants will be randomized into three groups: routine postoperative care, structured skin-to-skin contact, and structured skin-to-skin contact combined with inhalational lavender aromatherapy. The primary outcome is the change in maternal salivary cortisol level from immediately after birth to 60 minutes postpartum. Secondary outcomes include maternal salivary IgA levels, state anxiety scores, postoperative pain and nausea, time to first analgesic requirement, early breastfeeding initiation and success, LATCH scores, neonatal axillary temperature, cumulative duration and continuity of skin-to-skin contact, maternal satisfaction, and the need for mother-infant separation within the first 2 hours postpartum.
Key facts
- Study ID
- NCT07612059
- Run by
- Ataturk University
- People needed
- 150
- Starts
- 2026-06-01
- Expected to finish
- 2027-12-30
- Last updated by the study team
- 2026-05-28
Who can join
Age: 18 and older, up to 40. Sex: female. Healthy volunteers: accepted.
You may qualify if…
- Female participants aged 18 to 40 years
- Term singleton pregnancy (≥37 weeks of gestation)
- Scheduled for elective cesarean section
- ASA physical status I-II
- Planned spinal anesthesia
- Clinically stable mother and newborn immediately after birth
- Ability to initiate breastfeeding in the early postpartum period
- Provision of written informed consent
You may not qualify if…
- Emergency cesarean section
- General anesthesia or conversion from spinal to general anesthesia
- Need for neonatal resuscitation or severe neonatal compromise
- Maternal hemodynamic instability or massive hemorrhage
- Major fetal congenital anomalies
- Known allergy or intolerance to lavender
- Severe asthma or intolerance to strong odors
- Major psychiatric disorders
- Serious endocrine diseases affecting stress hormone regulation
- Clinical conditions that preclude breastfeeding
- Contraindications to spinal anesthesia
- Refusal to participate in the study
Where it is running
- Ataturk University — Erzurum, Turkey (Türkiye)
Full record on ClinicalTrials.gov
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