What are the advantages of skin-to-skin contact with your baby?

As withbreastfeeding, the benefits of skin-to-skin are shared by baby and all those who practice it with him. So there's only one question: why not try it?

Imagine for just two seconds (well, try to remember!); after spending nine months in total relaxation mode, floating in 37 degree water, toes out, and being rocked by soft noises and gentle movements ... you find yourself propelled out of your cozy cocoon to find yourself staring up at unfamiliar faces, aggressive lights and loud noises. It's no wonder that all babies land on this earth with a bang! Childbirth is sport for the parents but not only for them.

How to soothe this somewhat brutal arrival into the world? Very often, the healthy newborn is immediately placed on his mother, skin-to-skin, to warm himself up and especially to reassure him. At last, a voice, heartbeats and smells that he recognises. Finally, his first carnal connection with his parents.

"I had a great birth. I could say it was "nice and easy"! In addition, the maternity ward was not very busy that night, so the three of us were able to stay in the delivery room and enjoy our first moments alone with our daughter. Gently welcoming her. She went straight from the gynecologist's hands to my heart. A real moment in time. My partner and I took turns for skin-to-skin contact with her, to discover her, to observe her while she was soothing. It felt like it lasted fifteen - twenty minutes, minutes ... when in fact, we stayed there for over three hours with Lily glued to us both. It was crazy. Our first contacts after nine months of imagining her. Our first exchanges, the first cuddles and the first breastfeed. I have fantastic and moving memories of those first moments with my baby. In fact, as I write these words, my keyboard is flooded!" Marie-Noëlle, Milk Away MUM.

Peace & Love

Skin-to-skin is one of the best remedies for babies' discomfort in the first months of their lives (no kidding! Growing up so fast, in such a short time, can't be a constant pleasure) and for the parents' stress (breathe in, breathe out, you have a him in your line of sight and he's within reach, all to be reassured). The feeling of your two bodies stuck-together, your breaths in tune, your heartbeats in unison (the discovery of true love in short) are precious moments of complicity and mutual discovery. The good news is that, likebreastfeeding, skin-to-skin contact brings immediate benefits.

Skin-to-skin contact is ideal from birthwith bothmum and dad, but to take advantage of its benefits in the long term, the experience should be extended once you are back home and as often as possible: to fall asleep calmly, to wake up gently, during breastfeeding, after feeding to help with digestion, in the bath, everywhere and all the time. 

A relaxed baby

• Skin-to-skin sessions with baby bring back memories of his life spent in utero (his best holiday ever: eating, sleeping, doing nothing. What else? Hence the following philosophical question: after all, why come into the world? It will be the subject of a future article written after a long debate at the end of the evening. Stay tuned!) The smell, the voice and the position recall pleasant memories to the little one and contribute to relaxing him, to decrease the crying and the feeling of pain.
• Since nature is well done, it is not surprising that the immediate contact of the newborn with the mother awakens innate behaviours that facilitate breastfeeding. Skin-to-skin contact is, therefore, ideal for promoting breastfeeding and the production of milk. These moments of shared relaxation allow the baby and mother to get to know each other better, to create a bond and to find the most comfortable positions for each. 
• This state ofphysical and emotional appeasement due to the practice of skin-to-skin causes the regulation of the heartbeat and breathing of the infant but also a stabilisation of its body temperature. A naked child or a child in a diaper placed in skin-to-skin contact will be warmer than a clothed child carried in your arms. This direct skin-to-skin contact allows for rapid heat transmission. Studies even show that mothers' breasts increase by 0.5° in two minutes during skin-to-skin contact with their baby. 
• A stabilisation of the blood sugar level is also noted, which limits the risk of hypoglycemia in children.
• Other studies proven that physical contact between parents and children strengthens their immune systems. The bacterial flora of the adult is transmitted to the child, which boosts his or her ability to defend against certain infections. 
• Skin-to-skin contact also makes it easier for the child to get into bed and improves the quality of his sleep.

Parents at ease

Skin-to-skin is obviously practiced by both parents. A body to body contact to be privileged and which allows the father to quickly weave powerful bonds with his child and to benefit from all the benefits of the practice. 

•  A warm baby against your body/heart and boom! Your oxytocin levels soar. What better way to relax and be happy than with a little shot of the love and happiness hormone? 
• Regular skin-to-skin contact as soon as you get home reduces the risk of baby blues and reduces parental stress.
• Oxytocin is also responsible for the feeling of attachment, so each skin-to-skin session will strengthen your bond with baby and the trust he has in you. This is the perfect ground for building strong relationships later on.
• Skin-to-skin even helps recovery after childbirth by reducing postpartum hemorrhage and improving placental expulsion.
• It is also recommended that breastfeeding mothers practice skin-to-skin contact before feeding time, as this contact strongly encourages the milk to flow.

"Skin-to-skin worked like a charm with Lily. Whenever she cried (from fatigue, stress, or discomfort), her daddy would hold her in a sling against him, shirtless, and continue to wander around the apartment making his work calls. When we were out and about without the sling, I liked to take her in my arms and open the zip of my (Milk Away of course) nursing garment. She would slip part of her face and a little hand into it and curl up against my skin. Even when she wasn't nursing, that contact calmed her right away. It was practical and beautiful." Marie-Noëlle, Milk Away MUM.

Skin-to-skin contact: everywhere and all the time 

In summary: if you like it, don't deprive yourself of it! Skin-to-skin is easy to set up; you can do it lying in bed or sitting on the sofa, cooking or gardening, partially or completely naked (don't get caught for exhibitionism by your neighbours though!), wrapped in a blanket or helped by a sling. Day or night. It's up to you and baby! 

Just remember some basic safetyrules: always position baby upright, always check that baby's nose and mouth are clear. We place him above mum's chest and in the middle of dad's pectoral muscles and we don't put any clothing on his face. We put his head on its side and we do not practice skin-to-skin lying down in case of great fatigue (risk of falling, crushing and suffocation). You should also make sure that your baby does not catch cold, either by increasing the heating in the room or by putting a warm blanket around him. 

The final word: just take off your clothes and cuddle! 

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