Benefits of Skin to-Skin Contact with Newborns
As soon as you see and smell your little one, all you want to do is cuddle them close and breathe them in. *sigh* It’s normal to have that instinct to bring baby close. A recent study found that a newborn baby’s smell is as addictive as drugs or food. Not surprising, but isn’t that crazy?! And did you know that there are many benefits to bringing baby close? Right after giving birth is actually the best and most important time to do so.
Immediately bringing baby up to the mother’s chest and not having a blanket or clothing between the two is so beneficial and something every woman should do. This is called skin-to-skin or kangaroo care.
Obviously, if mom or baby is in distress or in need of immediate medical attention, skin-to-skin time can wait. If everyone is doing well and is healthy, there is absolutely no reason why every woman shouldn’t do skin-to-skin. Checking baby’s weight and doing their measurements can wait. It has been proven by multiple studies why skin-to-skin should be done for at least an hour right after birth and if you want to know why you should do it, besides the newborn smell, here are some benefits of skin-to-skin that prove it’s the best thing to do with your newborn.
1. Keeps Baby Warm, Regulates Their Breathing & Keeps Their Blood Sugar Levels Higher
Did you know that your breasts and abdomen can stabilize your baby’s vitals and keep your baby warm better than a baby warmer/incubator? It’s true! Mothers can naturally adjust “the warmth of their breasts to keep their infants at the optimal temperature,” says Midwifery Today. “Maternal breast temperature can rise rapidly, then fall off as baby is warmed. As the baby starts to cool, the breasts heat up again.
Also, because newborn babies’ systems are immature, they can sometimes temporarily stop breathing and/or have slowed heart rates. While most of the time they can begin breathing again on their own, the cues you provide by breathing and your heart beating are what their little bodies can learn from more quickly to organize essential systems. As you breathe, baby will synchronize their breath and heartbeat to yours. And there isn’t a baby warmer in the world that can do that.
2. Improves Chances of Breastfeeding
A huge benefit of skin-to-skin is that babies are more likely to nurse sooner and nurse longer. You don’t even have to force baby to your breast when you’re doing skin-to-skin. Have you heard of the breast crawl? Your baby can actually find your breasts and latch himself/herself on. (Sometimes they need a little assistance if you had a medicated birth or if they have lip-tie or tongue-tie.) Also, the sooner you can establish breastfeeding the sooner it can help establish mama’s milk supply.
3. Enhances Bonding
A lot of the professionals in the birthing industry call the first hour after birth is ‘The Golden Hour’. This is a time in which “both mother and child are best primed to form an intense chemical connection with each other,” What makes ‘The Golden Hour’ so “golden” is the hormone oxytocin – aka the “love hormone” – which helps the uterus contract during labor and also plays a critical role in bonding and helps with lactation.
4. Helps Baby Cry Less
A study in the journal Pediatrics reports that “skin-to-skin contact for as little as three hours a day can reduce infant crying by 43 percent.” Let’s just put that out there again. 43%!!! “This can lead to lower stress levels for a new mother who is otherwise unsure how to calm her crying infant.” Another reason why I highly encourage skin-to-skin and, not only that, babywearing. Dad’s can do it, too!
5. Makes Baby Sleep Better
The same study from the journal Pediatrics said, “skin-to-skin contact helps infants fall asleep more easily and also sleep for a longer period of time. This allows the new mother to get more rest and reduce stress levels.” Huge! This is a major reason why mothers should be resting with their babies on their chest doing skin-to-skin so they can both sleep more soundly.
6. Improves Baby’s Gut Health & Immunity
Skin-to-skin also helps baby’s digestive system mature. A study reports that the contact “stimulates the vagal nerve, causing increased growth in size of the villi in the newborn gut, which provides a larger surface area for the absorption of nutrition.” There is also “less chance of infection, because babies given kangaroo mother care become colonized with the bacteria on their mother’s own skin. This causes her milk to produce antibodies in response and makes it specifically protective against those bacteria. In other words, it strengthens their immune system.
7. Reduced Postpartum Depression
So many things can cause women to have postpartum depression. New research suggests that skin-to-skin contact immediately following birth may reduce postpartum depression in moms. Being able to hold, kiss, snuggle, smell, and breastfeed your baby right after birth all stimulate intricate hormonal patterns within the mother that reinforce mothering behaviors and feelings of well-being. Some experts believe that if she is not able to experience those things that the mother’s body interprets this as something going wrong with the birth and/or her baby. This can induce a stress/grief response that, in some cases, may create feelings of anxiety or depression.
According to the study in the Journal of Obstetric, Gynecological, and Neonatal Nursing, “skin-to-skin contact between the mother and baby may be an alternative therapy for mothers trying to avoid taking medication. The study reveals that new mothers who had six hours of skin-to-skin contact during the first week followed by at least two hours during the next month reported fewer depressive symptoms. Saliva samples confirmed lower cortisol levels, a marker of stress, than their counterparts. For a baby, skin-to-skin contact helps fulfill the need for human contact and promotes bonding. The touching releases the hormone oxytocin in the mother, which encourages infant/mother attachment and increases the feeling of well-being and relaxation.”
What’s great about skin-to-skin is that it is free and has no side effects. “Unlike other interventions to reduce depressive symptoms in the postpartum months, skin-to-skin care is easy to use, readily accessible, cost effective, and without adverse effects.
WHO CAN DO SKIN-TO-SKIN?
“Skin to skin with baby is good for all types of births, assuming your baby is stable, as most full term babies are at birth. Even after a cesarean birth (c-section) mom can hold baby skin to skin or dad if mom is not available. Skin to skin care for preterm babies is also important and many NICUs will direct you in how to use skin-to-skin care to help stabilize your new baby,”
If you want to be skin-to, be sure to let your practitioners know before you go into labor and have your baby!
#SkintoskinContactwithNewborns #Noidamommy #Bondingwithbaby
As soon as you see and smell your little one, all you want to do is cuddle them close and breathe them in. *sigh* It’s normal to have that instinct to bring baby close. A recent study found that a newborn baby’s smell is as addictive as drugs or food. Not surprising, but isn’t that crazy?! And did you know that there are many benefits to bringing baby close? Right after giving birth is actually the best and most important time to do so.
Immediately bringing baby up to the mother’s chest and not having a blanket or clothing between the two is so beneficial and something every woman should do. This is called skin-to-skin or kangaroo care.
Obviously, if mom or baby is in distress or in need of immediate medical attention, skin-to-skin time can wait. If everyone is doing well and is healthy, there is absolutely no reason why every woman shouldn’t do skin-to-skin. Checking baby’s weight and doing their measurements can wait. It has been proven by multiple studies why skin-to-skin should be done for at least an hour right after birth and if you want to know why you should do it, besides the newborn smell, here are some benefits of skin-to-skin that prove it’s the best thing to do with your newborn.
1. Keeps Baby Warm, Regulates Their Breathing & Keeps Their Blood Sugar Levels Higher
Did you know that your breasts and abdomen can stabilize your baby’s vitals and keep your baby warm better than a baby warmer/incubator? It’s true! Mothers can naturally adjust “the warmth of their breasts to keep their infants at the optimal temperature,” says Midwifery Today. “Maternal breast temperature can rise rapidly, then fall off as baby is warmed. As the baby starts to cool, the breasts heat up again.
Also, because newborn babies’ systems are immature, they can sometimes temporarily stop breathing and/or have slowed heart rates. While most of the time they can begin breathing again on their own, the cues you provide by breathing and your heart beating are what their little bodies can learn from more quickly to organize essential systems. As you breathe, baby will synchronize their breath and heartbeat to yours. And there isn’t a baby warmer in the world that can do that.
2. Improves Chances of Breastfeeding
A huge benefit of skin-to-skin is that babies are more likely to nurse sooner and nurse longer. You don’t even have to force baby to your breast when you’re doing skin-to-skin. Have you heard of the breast crawl? Your baby can actually find your breasts and latch himself/herself on. (Sometimes they need a little assistance if you had a medicated birth or if they have lip-tie or tongue-tie.) Also, the sooner you can establish breastfeeding the sooner it can help establish mama’s milk supply.
3. Enhances Bonding
A lot of the professionals in the birthing industry call the first hour after birth is ‘The Golden Hour’. This is a time in which “both mother and child are best primed to form an intense chemical connection with each other,” What makes ‘The Golden Hour’ so “golden” is the hormone oxytocin – aka the “love hormone” – which helps the uterus contract during labor and also plays a critical role in bonding and helps with lactation.
4. Helps Baby Cry Less
A study in the journal Pediatrics reports that “skin-to-skin contact for as little as three hours a day can reduce infant crying by 43 percent.” Let’s just put that out there again. 43%!!! “This can lead to lower stress levels for a new mother who is otherwise unsure how to calm her crying infant.” Another reason why I highly encourage skin-to-skin and, not only that, babywearing. Dad’s can do it, too!
5. Makes Baby Sleep Better
The same study from the journal Pediatrics said, “skin-to-skin contact helps infants fall asleep more easily and also sleep for a longer period of time. This allows the new mother to get more rest and reduce stress levels.” Huge! This is a major reason why mothers should be resting with their babies on their chest doing skin-to-skin so they can both sleep more soundly.
6. Improves Baby’s Gut Health & Immunity
Skin-to-skin also helps baby’s digestive system mature. A study reports that the contact “stimulates the vagal nerve, causing increased growth in size of the villi in the newborn gut, which provides a larger surface area for the absorption of nutrition.” There is also “less chance of infection, because babies given kangaroo mother care become colonized with the bacteria on their mother’s own skin. This causes her milk to produce antibodies in response and makes it specifically protective against those bacteria. In other words, it strengthens their immune system.
7. Reduced Postpartum Depression
So many things can cause women to have postpartum depression. New research suggests that skin-to-skin contact immediately following birth may reduce postpartum depression in moms. Being able to hold, kiss, snuggle, smell, and breastfeed your baby right after birth all stimulate intricate hormonal patterns within the mother that reinforce mothering behaviors and feelings of well-being. Some experts believe that if she is not able to experience those things that the mother’s body interprets this as something going wrong with the birth and/or her baby. This can induce a stress/grief response that, in some cases, may create feelings of anxiety or depression.
According to the study in the Journal of Obstetric, Gynecological, and Neonatal Nursing, “skin-to-skin contact between the mother and baby may be an alternative therapy for mothers trying to avoid taking medication. The study reveals that new mothers who had six hours of skin-to-skin contact during the first week followed by at least two hours during the next month reported fewer depressive symptoms. Saliva samples confirmed lower cortisol levels, a marker of stress, than their counterparts. For a baby, skin-to-skin contact helps fulfill the need for human contact and promotes bonding. The touching releases the hormone oxytocin in the mother, which encourages infant/mother attachment and increases the feeling of well-being and relaxation.”
What’s great about skin-to-skin is that it is free and has no side effects. “Unlike other interventions to reduce depressive symptoms in the postpartum months, skin-to-skin care is easy to use, readily accessible, cost effective, and without adverse effects.
WHO CAN DO SKIN-TO-SKIN?
“Skin to skin with baby is good for all types of births, assuming your baby is stable, as most full term babies are at birth. Even after a cesarean birth (c-section) mom can hold baby skin to skin or dad if mom is not available. Skin to skin care for preterm babies is also important and many NICUs will direct you in how to use skin-to-skin care to help stabilize your new baby,”
If you want to be skin-to, be sure to let your practitioners know before you go into labor and have your baby!
#SkintoskinContactwithNewborns #Noidamommy #Bondingwithbaby
Very informative
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asha chaudhry
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14 Dec 2017