Sacred hour in neonatology: benefits, challenges, and health interventions

Introduction: The sacred hour after birth is a key moment to strengthen the bonding between mother, baby and family, favoring breastfeeding and emotional well-being; therefore, we sought to analyze the scientific evidence on the benefits of the sacred hour in neonatology services, as well as the challenges that hinder its compliance and interventions implemented for its application. Methods: A qualitative, descriptive and literature review study, with a sample of 30 articles selected by convenience. A search in indexed databases in Scopus, Scielo, Pubmed, and Latindex was used; the selected studies were classified in a matrix for analysis using the CASPe method to guarantee the quality and validity of the results. Results: The sacred hour in neonatology strengthens mother-child bonding, improves neurodevelopment and reduces neonatal mortality through practices such as skin-to-skin contact and breastfeeding. However, comorbidities, institutional limitations and lack of training hinder its implementation. Conclusion: Family-centered care in the first hour of life is a key moment for the integral wellbeing of the mother, the newborn and the father. Therefore, it is an inherent need to establish policies that guarantee family integration, marked by initiatives such as mother and newborn friendly institutions, as well as the continuous training of the health professional as a real need in health systems for the promotion of care to the trinomial.