Benefits of Skin-to-Skin Contact After Vaginal Birth
Babies complete their development in the safe environment of their mother's womb during pregnancy. Baby growing with love in mother's womb want to feel the same love and affection during birth.
Leaving the safe environment in mother's belly, new born babies need to have skin contact with their just after the birth to feel less stressed and more safe in their new world.
Physicians recommend that babies should meet their mother as soon as possible after birth and have skin contact whether mother gives birth in natural ways or by c-section surgery.
Skin contact also ensures to create a strong bond between baby and mother and helps them to accept and get used to each other. Forming a strong bond between mother and baby is critical in mother's care for baby and baby's showing the desired development.
Benefits of skin-to-skin contact for baby:
- Baby's sleep duration will be longer.
- Rapid weight gain and increased growth rate which are important for every mother.
- You baby will nurse in more efficiently in the first nursing.
- Crying and discomfort period will be shorter.
- Mother's voice, the muttering of baby are triggers for your baby's neurological and cognitive development.
- Hearth beat, respiration, body heat, blood sugar values important for new born babies are stabilized.
- Your baby can adjust to outer world easier.
Benefits of skin-to-skin contact for mother:
- It improves the bond between mother and baby.
- Increases mother milk. As the mother's milk reflexes are stimulated, milk production starts and the adequate amount for baby is produced.
- It is effective in extending nursing process.
- Mother feels more confident in nursing her baby.
- Ensures that mother feel more confident about baby care.
- Diminishes the probability of after birth depression.
- Ensures that mother adapts to her mother role faster.
- The pain in mother's breast reduces significantly as of the 3rd day of birth.
- Mother has less anxiety.
About video: Dr. Jon Barrett: “Skin to skin contact in vaginal birth is now well established in improving many, many outcomes for the baby and the mother. It improves the baby’s temperature regulation, it improves the baby’s chance of getting jaundice, it improves breastfeeding, it improves contact between the mother and baby.
