Did you know immeditae skin to skin contact with your baby carries health benefits?🤔 Why?🤔 What are the benefits?🤔 Can your partner do skin to skin with baby?🤔 How do I do skin to skin?🤔
📌Infants cannot regulate their body temperature just yet. A study found that the parent's body were more effective at regulating baby’s temperature than an artificial warmer. The birther's body has a slight advantage over the partner's body. The birther's body will cool if baby is too hot, and also get hotter if baby is too cold 😱
📌Babies who obtain skin to skin tend to have heart and breathing rates that are both more normal and more stable. This holds true for premature babies as well. The birther's heart sounds and breathing patterns are familiar to the baby after spending time in utero and helps guide baby to an easier transition from womb to world.
📌It can help stabilize your baby’s blood sugar levels. This is especially important if birther had gestational diabetes.
📌It initiates latching.
📌Babies get exposed to their parent's bacteria through skin-to-skin contact after birth. Bacteria in the vagina and on the skin are different from bacteria found in a hospital isolette, so early exposure helps babies develop a healthy range of bacteria, building the microbiome.
📌Oxytocin is released which helps release the placenta and reduces postpartum hemorrhage.
📌A mammalian reflex of a baby is to have a “separation distress call” when separated from birther and brings on higher adrenaline levels. The baby will eventually go to sleep and the very important first latch may be delayed. Skin to skin will give you a baby who is apt to cry less since it feels more secure and protected in your arms.
📌Clinical procedures like a heel stick for blood sampling can be painful for baby. A baby’s pain level and duration of pain decreases with skin to skin contact.
📌Having your baby skin to skin helps to ensure that the birther will learn their baby’s signals sooner, improving communication and boosting parental confidence as well as helping babies develop a sense of trust and security.
📌if you had a cesarean, ask staff to place your baby skin to skin as soon as possible
📌Give your partner a job! Partners can give skin to skin as well . This is especially important for bonding time and also if birther is unavailable to do skin to skin contact, partners can provide baby with the best start! But partner's body does not adjust to baby's temperature like birther's does, so they must be more careful to not overheat the baby.
