SKIN TO SKIN
“In the warmth of skin-to-skin, a sacred dance unfolds – a symphony of love between mother and baby, where the world fades, and only the bond remains.”
WHAT IS SKIN TO SKIN CONTACT?
This video from UNICEF covers both the theory and practice of skin-to-skin, but most importantly, what it can mean to mothers and babies meeting each other for the first time.
It involves placing a newborn directly on the mother's bare chest after birth, covered in a warm blanket, for at least an hour or until after the initial feed. This practice, often termed 'kangaroo care' in neonatal units, fosters parent-baby bonding and enhances physical and developmental outcomes.
WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS?
Scientific evidence highlights its numerous benefits:
- It calms and relaxes both mother and baby.
- It regulates the baby's heart rate and breathing, aiding their transition to life outside the womb.
- It stimulates digestion and fosters interest in feeding.
- It regulates temperature and promotes the transfer of the mother's friendly bacteria to the baby's skin, offering protection against infection.
- It triggers the release of hormones supporting breastfeeding and maternal bonding.
In neonatal units, skin-to-skin contact for babies:
- Improves oxygen saturation.
- Reduces cortisol (stress) levels, particularly after painful procedures.
- Encourages pre-feeding behaviors.
- Assists with growth and may shorten hospital stays.
- Enhances expressed milk quality, containing the latest antibodies, when the mother expresses after skin-to-skin contact.
Research on Skin to Skin Contact
When a mother cradles her baby in skin-to-skin contact post-birth, it triggers instinctive behaviors in both. The mother experiences a surge of maternal hormones, engaging in smelling, stroking, and bonding with her baby. Babies, driven by instincts after birth, undergo a unique process that, if undisturbed, leads to their first breastfeed. Familiarising themselves with the mother's breast and achieving self-attachment during this time enhances the likelihood of smoother subsequent feeds, reducing breastfeeding issues.
Post-birth, babies placed skin-to-skin on their mother's chest will:
- Emit a distinctive birth cry briefly.
- Enter a relaxation stage with minimal movement as they recover.
- Wake up, opening their eyes and responding to their mother's voice.
- Make small movements of the arms, shoulders, and head, eventually drawing up their knees and seemingly moving or crawling towards the breast.
- Rest after finding the breast, which might be mistaken for lack of hunger.
- Familiarise with the breast through nuzzling, smelling, and licking.
- Self-attach and begin feeding, potentially requiring a bit of assistance with positioning.
- Detach from the breast after a period of suckling, often leading to both mother and baby falling asleep.
Most healthy term babies will naturally follow this sequence if uninterrupted, avoiding interruptions such as weighing the baby or the mother taking a shower. Disrupting or rushing through these stages may result in issues during subsequent breastfeeds. If the mother received significant analgesia during labour, the baby might be drowsy, lengthening this process.