The Importance of Skin to Skin Contact
When a baby is born, instinctively, a parent hold their baby to their chest. Holding a bare infant, in the upright position on their parents bare chest is called Kangaroo Care. The baby is covered with blankets to keep them warm. Ideally, skin-to-skin care starts immediately after birth or shortly after birth, with the baby remaining on the mother’s chest until at least the end of the first breastfeeding session (Moore et al. 2012).
Skin-to-skin care can begin at different times. There is many evidence-based benefits of Kangaroo care within the first minute after birth, and within 24 hours. Some of these benefits include:
Increased bonding-more likely for a baby to latch well to breast
Better maintenance of blood sugar levels, heart rate, body temperature, and breathing rates
Baby is colonized by the same bacteria as mother , this is important in the prevention of allergic diseases
Baby is less likely to cry
Increased growth and social responsiveness and decreased stress which hinders healthy development
Your partner has a role in skin to skin contact as well. Partners should have at least 1 hour of skin to skin contact with the baby within the first 24 hours. Diaper changes, baby wearing, assisting with soothing and sleeping, playing with baby, etc., can all be highlighter as being an important role for partner.
Skin-to-skin care isn’t just for the first 24 hours of the baby’s life. Babywearing is a great way to maintain skin-to-skin contact. A baby carrier, or sling is a great way to keep the closeness . Babywearing leads to:
less crying ( 6-weeks is the peak age of crying, invest in a sling!)
more time spent in a state of quiet alertness which leads to an optimal state of learning
higher mental and emotional intelligence
convenient and fun (can get things done around the house)
The SleepBelt is also a great product that I recommend for the 4th trimester. It is a hands free skin-to-skin support system and nap wrap, the SleepBelt support allows baby to sleep sound, snug and secure on mom or dad’s chest while giving parents their hands back to read, use a tablet, or otherwise relax. More information about the SleepBelt can be found on https://www.sleepbelt.net/index.php. It can also be purchased on Amazon.
