{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,22]],"date-time":"2026-09-22T06:05:34Z","timestamp":1790057134552,"version":"4.0.1"},"reference-count":23,"publisher":"Frontiers Media SA","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,22]],"date-time":"2026-09-22T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1790035200000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["frontiersin.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Front. Pediatr."],"abstract":"<jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Background<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Late preterm infants (34\u2009+\u20090\u201336\u2009+\u20096 weeks' gestation) are at increased risk of feeding difficulties, hypoglycemia, hypothermia, and early mother-infant separation. Although skin-to-skin contact and rooming-in are recommended components of family-centered neonatal care, evidence regarding the implementation of integrated non-separation strategies in late preterm infants remains limited. This study evaluated the implementation, feasibility, safety, and early clinical outcomes of a Non-Separation Pathway in a tertiary care setting.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Methods<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>We conducted a prospective observational cohort study after implementation of a Non-Separation Pathway at a Belgian tertiary university hospital. Mother-infant dyads with infants born between 34\u2009+\u20090 and 36\u2009+\u20096 weeks' gestation were enrolled between April 2023 and March 2024. The pathway consists of three interconnected components: (1) immediate and sustained delivery-room SSC, (2) continuous rooming-in, and (3) structured feeding support according to a standardized protocol based on Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine. Primary outcomes were pathway implementation, feasibility, and safety, with complete non-separation as the primary implementation outcome. Secondary outcomes included feeding practices, hypoglycemia, weight loss, length of stay, and feeding status at discharge.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Results<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Sixty-nine mother-infant dyads were included. Mean gestational age was 35.6 weeks and mean birth weight was 2,502\u2005g. Complete non-separation was achieved in 37.3% of dyads, delivery room skin-to-skin contact in 82.6%. Vaginal birth (aOR 5.12, 95% CI 1.51\u201317.39) and higher gestational age (aOR 2.14, 95% CI 1.06\u20134.35) were independently associated with complete non-separation. Respiratory support was independently associated with lower odds of delivery-room skin-to-skin contact (aOR 0.04, 95% CI 0.004\u20130.41). Hypothermia occurred in 18.8% of infants and was associated with surrogate skin-to-skin contact (aOR 6.67, 95% CI 1.71\u201326.03). At discharge, 75.4% of infants received any mother's milk and 34.8% were exclusively breastfed.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Conclusions<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Implementation of the Non-Separation Pathway demonstrated that delivery-room SSC was feasible for most late preterm infants in a tertiary neonatal setting and was not associated with major safety concerns. However, complete non-separation throughout hospitalization was achieved in only 37% of dyads and remained constrained by respiratory support requirements, cesarean delivery, maternal and neonatal complexity, limited intermediate-care capacity, and the absence of rooming-in facilities in the NICU.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.3389\/fped.2026.1919628","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,22]],"date-time":"2026-09-22T05:41:19Z","timestamp":1790055679000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Implementation of a non-separation pathway for late preterm infants in a tertiary care center: a prospective feasibility study"],"prefix":"10.3389","volume":"14","author":[{"given":"Elien","family":"Janssens","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Pediatrics and Neonatology, Residency Program, University Hospital Leuven","place":["Leuven, 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