Birth: the benefits of skin-to-skin

7 good reasons to skin-to-skin with your baby

Skin-to-skin contact after birth but also later provides babies, and especially premature babies, with many positive effects. Studies have also shown the benefits of this practice on the mother-child attachment, and more generally on the well-being of parents.. 

Skin-to-skin warms the baby at birth 

Placed skin-to-skin with his mother, the baby regains the temperature (37 C) of the mother’s womb (and this is maintained), his heart rate and breathing stabilize, his blood sugar is higher. If the mother is not immediately available, such as a cesarean section, skin-to-skin contact with the dad also helps keep the newborn baby warm.

It gives the baby good bacteria

In direct contact with his mother’s skin, the baby is contaminated by its “bacterial flora”. These are “good bacteria” which will allow it to fight infections and build its own immune defenses.

Skin to skin reassures the baby

Birth represents a trauma for the child. The passage from the mother’s womb to the outside causes the baby to lose all his bearings. Early and prolonged contact between mother and child is thus a physiological need for the newborn. The warmth of the body, the smell of the mother or the father, the sound of their voices will help to reassure him and facilitate his transition to the outside world. When you return home, it is advisable to practice skin-to-skin as often as possible to continue to help the baby adjust to his new life.

Early contact facilitates the initiation of breastfeeding

Skin-to-skin contact after birth triggers a very specific behavior in the newborn. He will instinctively crawl towards the nipple and then take the breast as soon as he is ready. This behavior occurs on average after about an hour of uninterrupted skin-to-skin contact. The more often we put our baby skin-to-skin, the more we also promote the flow of milk, which usually occurs within three days of giving birth.

Skin-to-skin improves the well-being of the newborn

Skin-to-skin infants have significantly fewer crying episodes than those placed in a cradle and the duration of these episodes is much shorter. A study carried out on newborns aged 4 hours old showed that those who benefited from one hour of skin-to-skin contact presented, compared to a separate control group, better behavioral organization and more peaceful sleep. .

Skin to skin promotes parent-child attachment

Proximity triggers the secretion of oxytocin, the attachment hormone, which facilitates the establishment of the mother-child bond. The release of this hormone also promotes the milk ejection reflex which helps maintain good lactation.

He reassures and calms the mother

Skin to skin directly influences the behavior of the mother who feels more soothed when her baby is in contact with her. The oxytocin secretion mentioned above allows this mechanism. Skin to skin, mother and baby will also produce endorphins. This hormone which is none other than a natural morphine, reduces anxiety and brings a feeling of liberation, well-being and euphoria. Skin to skin has also been shown to decrease stress in mothers whose infants have been admitted to a neonatal ward. 

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