Systems can change quickly.
Change is difficult for anybody. It’s taken me decades to eat in the way that is best for my body; I’ve had to learn about food. I’ve experienced inflammation, aches and pains. I’ve also had to do lots of personal work to figure out why I make poor diet choices, and to honor myself by making better choices. This has been a long process.
Healthcare systems find change difficult too. I read once that it can take 17 years for a research finding to go from the printed page into daily life. That’s why this paper, about a hospital that made a huge change in a matter of months, is remarkable.
A hospital in Kolkata, India was able to educate administrators and staff to stop separating mothers and babies after cesarean section. As a result, 100% of babies were being put skin to skin within 5 minutes of being delivered. Breastfeeding initiation went from 48% at the start of the study to 95% by the end of the study period. Exclusive breastfeeding at discharge went from 77% to 97%.
These numbers are truly incredible; they are also inspirational. They tell us that choosing to implement a big change can yield fast results. Change in a medical or hospital system doesn’t have to take years.
This is good news!
Sk MH, Chaudhuri S, Saha B. Implementing the practice of early skin-to-skin contact among infants ≥34 weeks gestation born by caesarean section: A quality improvement study. J Neonatal Perinatal Med. 2025 Sep;18(5):484-490. doi: 10.1177/19345798251349219. Epub 2025 Jun 17. PMID: 40524677.
