Bonding With Skin-To-Skin Contact: How Long Is Enough?

Skin-to-skin contact, also known as kangaroo care, is a practice that promotes bonding between a parent and their newborn baby. It involves placing the baby directly onto the parent's bare chest, usually under a blanket, and is typically done immediately after birth.

Skin-to-skin has a plethora of benefits for both the baby and the parent. For the baby, it helps to regulate their temperature, heart rate, and breathing, stimulates their digestion, and boosts their immune system. It also helps to calm and relax them, as they can hear the comforting sound of the parent's heartbeat and voice. For the parent, skin-to-skin contact increases levels of oxytocin, the feel-good hormone, and decreases levels of cortisol, the stress hormone. It also helps to boost milk supply in breastfeeding mothers and can even make parents feel more confident in their new role.

So, how long should you do skin-to-skin with your newborn? Ideally, skin-to-skin contact should be initiated as soon as possible after birth and continued for at least the first hour or until after the first feed. However, it is recommended to continue skin-to-skin cuddles whenever desired, even in the months after birth, as it helps to strengthen the bond and attachment between the parent and child.

Skin-to-skin contact promotes bonding and helps newborns adjust to life outside the womb

Skin-to-skin contact, also known as kangaroo care, is a practice that promotes bonding between a parent and their newborn baby. It involves placing the baby directly onto the parent's bare chest, usually under a blanket, with their tummy on the parent's tummy.

Skin-to-skin contact is highly beneficial for both the newborn and the parent. For the newborn, it helps them adjust to life outside the womb by regulating their body temperature, heart rate, and breathing. It also boosts their immunity to infections and stimulates their feeding instincts. For the parent, skin-to-skin contact increases the levels of oxytocin, the feel-good hormone, and decreases levels of cortisol, the stress hormone. It also helps the parent feel more confident and empowered in their new role.

Skin-to-skin contact is typically done immediately after birth and is recommended by organisations such as the World Health Organization, the American Academy of Pediatrics, and the Neonatal Resuscitation Program. It is beneficial for both vaginal births and caesarean sections, although in the latter case, it may be done as soon as the parent is in the recovery room.

The ideal duration for skin-to-skin contact is at least an hour or until after the first feed. However, it can be continued for as long as desired, even in the weeks and months after birth. It is a great way to calm and soothe the baby and enhance their brain development.

In cases where the baby requires special care or the parent is unable to hold them immediately after birth, alternative practices such as pumping breast milk or providing clothing with the parent's scent can be done to promote bonding and comfort. Once the parent and baby are stable, skin-to-skin contact can be initiated.

Overall, skin-to-skin contact is a simple yet powerful way to promote bonding and help newborns adjust to life outside the womb. It provides numerous benefits for both the newborn and the parent and is recommended by leading health organisations.

It also helps regulate the baby's heart rate, breathing, and temperature

Skin-to-skin contact, also known as kangaroo care, is a practice that promotes bonding between a parent and their newborn baby. It involves placing the baby directly onto the parent's bare chest, usually

Skin-to-skin can reduce stress and anxiety for both the baby and parents

Skin-to-skin contact, also known as kangaroo care, is a highly effective way to reduce stress and anxiety for both newborns and parents.

The benefits of skin-to-skin contact were first discovered in Bogota, Colombia, where doctors Edgar Rey and Hector Martinez observed the behaviour of kangaroos, who hold their young against their chest as soon as they are born. They instructed new parents to hold their infants between their breasts, with skin-to-skin contact, as often as possible. The doctors found that this practice not only reduced the babies' dependency on incubators but also led to a significant drop in mortality rates.

Today, skin-to-skin contact is recommended by leading organisations such as the World Health Organization, the American Academy of Pediatrics, and the Neonatal Resuscitation Program. This is because skin-to-skin contact has been scientifically proven to have numerous benefits for both babies and parents.

For newborns, skin-to-skin contact helps to stabilise their body temperature, heart rate, breathing, and blood oxygen levels. It also stimulates digestion, encourages deeper sleep, and reduces stress and pain. Research has shown that babies who experience skin-to-skin contact cry less, have lower heart rates, and display more neutral facial expressions, indicating reduced pain and stress.

Skin-to-skin contact also promotes the release of oxytocin, the 'love hormone', in both parents and babies. This helps to reduce stress and anxiety, promoting a sense of calm and bonding. For mothers, skin-to-skin contact can also help to kickstart maternal instincts and make the nursing process easier. It has also been linked to reduced postpartum bleeding and a lower risk of postpartum depression.

Overall, skin-to-skin contact is a simple yet powerful tool that can enhance the bonding experience for both parents and newborns, leading to improved health and well-being for both.

It stimulates the release of oxytocin and boosts the mother's milk supply

Skin-to-skin contact, also known as "kangaroo care", is a practice that promotes bonding between a parent and their newborn baby through touch. It involves placing the baby directly onto the parent's bare chest, with both covered by a warm blanket if needed. This practice is important for the emotional and physical well-being of both the mother and the baby.

Skin-to-skin contact stimulates the release of oxytocin, often referred to as the "love hormone", in the mother. Oxytocin helps the mother's body release milk in response to the baby's suckling. This release of oxytocin promotes a positive emotional connection between the mother and baby, enhancing the likelihood of successful early breastfeeding. The physical closeness created by skin-to-skin contact encourages the baby's natural instincts to latch onto the breast. The newborn's eagerness to root and explore the mother's breast is enhanced during early skin-to-skin contact, helping them gain early and effective latching skills. This early latch establishes a strong foundation for breastfeeding and helps activate the mother's milk supply.

Placing the baby on the mother's chest allows the baby to instinctively seek the breast and begin suckling, signalling the body to produce and release prolactin, a hormone essential for milk production. This early stimulation of the suckling reflex helps kickstart the mother's milk supply, setting the stage for a sustainable breastfeeding journey. Skin-to-skin contact also contributes to the initiation of the baby's suckling reflex, which is essential for milk production.

The benefits of skin-to-skin contact extend beyond the initial postpartum period. It is recommended to continue skin-to-skin contact in the weeks after birth, as it can help breastfeeding mothers read their babies' hunger cues and encourage babies to nurse. It can also help calm and soothe the baby, enhance brain development, and regulate the baby's temperature and blood sugar levels.

In summary, skin-to-skin contact stimulates the release of oxytocin in mothers, promoting a positive emotional connection and enhancing the likelihood of successful early breastfeeding. It also helps activate the mother's milk supply by stimulating the baby's suckling reflex and promoting the release of prolactin. The physical closeness and early latching skills established through skin-to-skin contact further support the establishment of a robust milk supply.

Skin-to-skin contact is especially beneficial for newborns in neonatal intensive care units (NICU)

Skin-to-skin contact, also known as kangaroo care, is highly beneficial for newborns, especially those in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU).

The practice involves placing the baby directly on the parent's bare chest, with both covered in a warm blanket if needed. This form of physical closeness helps newborns adjust to life outside the womb and promotes bonding between the parent and child.

For newborns in the NICU, skin-to-skin contact is vital. It helps to:

• Improve oxygen saturation
• Reduce cortisol (stress) levels, especially after painful procedures
• Encourage pre-feeding behaviour
• Reduce hospital stay
• Improve milk volume and supply

In addition, skin-to-skin contact provides numerous benefits for both the baby and the parent, including:

• Decreasing stress in both parties
• Promoting bonding and breastfeeding
• Stabilizing the baby's body temperature, heartbeat, and breathing
• Strengthening the baby's digestion and immune system
• Encouraging deeper sleep and quiet alert states in the baby
• Reducing postpartum bleeding in mothers

The World Health Organization, American Academy of Pediatrics, Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine, and the Neonatal Resuscitation Program all recommend skin-to-skin contact. It is a simple yet effective practice that helps newborns in the NICU and supports their overall health and development.

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