Starting at birth, skin-to-skin contact between Mom and Baby provides a host of benefits. Whether you have your baby at a birthing center, home, or traditional hospital, it’s wise to start “kangaroo care” right away. The concept is simple: hold your baby to your chest without any clothing or blankets between you two. And if your partner wants to bond with the baby shortly after birth they can also hold baby skin-to-skin. This is the norm in midwifery care (along with delayed cord cutting), but you may have to advocate for immediate skin-to-skin in a hospital setting with physician care, by including your wishes in a birth plan, and making sure your whole care team is aware. The guide below looks at the advantages involved.

How Skin Contact Helps Your Newborn

1. More Stability 

When a mother places her full-term baby on her chest immediately after delivery, it helps ease the transition from womb to world. Naturally, the intrauterine environment is incredibly different from the extra-uterine environment, and moving from one to the other can be confusing. Through skin-to-skin contact, though, it’s easier for babies to establish regular breathing, a normal body temperature, and glucose stability as they become lulled by the warmth and familiar scent. 

2. Faster Nursing 

It’s not uncommon for babies who are placed on their mother’s chest after birth to start nursing within an hour. Newborns are instinctively motivated to find the nipple and attach, and they have the opportunity to do both while resting on Mom’s skin uninterrupted. Unless you or your baby is in distress, your birthing center or hospital should facilitate as much skin-to-skin contact as you want following labor and delivery. 

3. Better Developmental Outcomes 

Researchers have found there are several long-term benefits of kangaroo care, especially when it comes to the psychological development of preterm infants. In one study, scientists determined that skin-to-skin contact contributed to cognitive functioning, perception, and socialization, thereby improving neuro-developmental outcomes over time. 

If you want to learn more about this form of bonding, the knowledgeable providers at Geneva Woods Birth Center will be happy to answer all your questions. Located in Anchorage, AK, this full-service birthing center is staffed by Certified Nurse-Midwives who can assist with all aspects of prenatal care. As a complete OB-GYN practice (including Board-Certified Lactation Consultants), they also assist with family planning, breastfeeding and postnatal care. To learn more about having your baby at this birthing center, visit their website or call (907) 561-2626.