How much skin to skin

The medical examination, weighing, and other procedures can come after the golden hour has taken place. Medical professionals understand the importance of skin-to-skin contact, and if you and your baby are doing well, they will place the baby on your chest as soon as possible. After a cesarean birth , in most cases you will still be able to hold your baby soon after birth. While you are being stitched up after your cesarean section or an episiotomy , your partner can take over and practice skin-to-skin contact.

What happens right after you give birth cannot always be planned in advance, but if your healthcare team knows your preference for skin-to-skin contact, they will try to make it happen as soon as it is possible.

Skin-to-skin contact after birth is often common practice in hospitals as the benefits have become widely known. Moreover, skin-to-skin contact is beneficial for both full-term and premature babies.

In fact, the practice was first developed for premature babies, who were shown to thrive when given kangaroo care. Regulates body temperature. Your body becomes a natural incubator and regulates itself depending on the temperature needs of the baby. Stabilizes the baby's breathing, heartbeat, and more. It may also have a positive effect on the baby's brain development.

Encourages breastfeeding. At the same time, your body also releases a hormone called prolactin, which stimulates milk production. May reduce crying. Skin-to-skin contact has also been shown to reduce crying, with as little as three hours of snuggling a day — another great reason to spend time cuddling your baby.

You can read more about how to soothe your crying baby here. Helps your baby feel safe. Your baby has just come out of the warmth and safety of the womb and is getting used to the lights and noises of the outside world.

Skin-to-skin contact can help your baby feel secure. Your baby not only feels the warmth of your skin, but also is getting to know your smell and listening to your breathing. He can also recognize familiar sounds, like the sounds of your heartbeat and voice.

Then, labor occurs and babies suddenly find themselves without immediate access to those essential needs. It is not surprising that study after study has shown a host of benefits for babies who experience skin-to-skin care sometimes called " kangaroo care " with their mothers.

Whenever possible, mothers and babies should be in direct contact for at least the first 1—2 hours after birth. A blanket should be draped over both of them for warmth. If the mother is unable to provide skin-to-skin care, due to labor or birth complications, then the dad can step in. Within minutes, you will see the benefits of skin-to-skin care become evident as both mother and baby relax.

Benefits of skin-to-skin care during infancy may persist for years. A long-term study of babies who were in the NICU neonatal intensive care unit of an Israeli medical center after birth found that benefits persisted years later. After assessing the children at 10 years of age, the researchers found benefits for those who had skin-to-skin care, including better maternal attachment behavior, reduced maternal anxiety, enhanced child cognitive development, and mother-child reciprocity.

Babies go through a dramatic transition after birth as they prepare to take their first breaths of air outside the uterus. Those held skin-to-skin by their mothers tend to adapt sooner than those who are not. They also tend to have heart and breathing rates that are both more normal and more stable. This benefit holds true with premature infants as well as those born full-term.

Babies use blood sugar for energy. Before birth, they get glucose through the placenta; after birth, they get it from their mother's milk. This can cause him to feed poorly, which can exacerbate the problem. The risk of low blood sugar is higher for babies born to mothers with gestational diabetes due to higher insulin levels in their blood. Simply enjoy the time and relax. A medical professional should remain in the room in case you or baby should have any problems after birth.

General medical procedures usually done immediately after birth, such as eye drops and vitamin K injection, can be done a couple hours after birth without any disadvantages. Many medical experts in this field recommend skin-to-skin contact immediately after a cesarean section, also called a c-section, and for premature babies. Mothers who are getting stitched up following a c-section have reported feeling less stressed practicing skin-to-skin during stitching.

Studies show that premature babies are more metabolically stable and breathe better when skin-to-skin contact is introduced immediately after birth. If your newborn is premature, you may be hesitant to try.

Even if your baby does not latch on during the first hour or two, you and baby will still benefit. While most babies take to the breast right away or almost right away, some babies do not.

Both parents can enjoy this time with baby. Most birthing rooms and nurseries have comfortable rocking chairs and screens where dad can snuggle with baby too. If your baby is very ill or suffering from acute respiratory distress syndrome, then immediate medical care precludes skin-to-skin time. Neonatal intensive care unit NICU staff, who often includes skin-to-skin care in their developmental care practices, will work with you to make skin-to-skin contact possible.

In NICU, a baby has more stress and emotional needs. Ongoing tests, noises and procedures are very different from the quiet, warm womb the baby has known. One study even found that premature newborns who had prolonged skin-to-skin contact with their mothers while hospitalized actually had better survival odds. Since kangaroo care in South America originated, studies around the world have confirmed its value for premature newborns throughout the world. Several studies showed that newborns who received standard medical care, as well as skin-to-skin contact, had a 36 percent lower death rate than those who only received standard care.

These babies also had about one-half the risk of developing sepsis, were 78 percent less likely to develop hypothermia and were 88 percent less likely to have dangerously low blood sugar. Also, some countries in the studies also had much higher complication rates than the United States.

While only in a diaper, snuggle your baby upright on your chest. Revel in the closeness and tactile comfort you both are enjoying. If the air is a bit chilly, place a blanket loosely over both of you. Make these sessions as comforting as you can. Avoid diaper changing or other tasks that might make baby unhappy before you start. Good times to work it into your home routine include during breast or bottle-feeding, first thing in the morning or right after baths. Try to keep baby in position for an hour because this allows baby to go through a full sleep and wake cycle.

Babies can benefit from skin-to-skin for months. Some experts recommend it for at least three months for full-term babies and six months for premature babies.