e. Skin-to-Skin Contact
Skin-to-skin contact involves placing the baby wearing only a diaper, tummy down on his/her mother's bare chest immediately after birth and well into the firts month. Baby may be covered lightly with a blanket. Your partner or support person can also do skin-to-skin to know, comfort and nurture your baby.
Benefits:
- Strengthens the mother-baby relationship;
- Helps regulate the baby's body temperature, respirations and heart rate;
- Promotes better breastfeeding;
- Helps regulate the baby's blood sugar;
- Provides pain relief to baby during painful procedures;
- Encourages longer duration of breastfeeding, on average by an additional six weeks.
- The benefits of skin-to-skin for bonding, soothing and breastfeeding continue well after the newborn period.
- Premature babies also benefit from skin-to-skin. Sometimes this is called Kangaroo Care.
Last update: 01-13-2014