Why Skin-to-Skin After Birth Is Kind of Amazing
Those first skin-to-skin snuggles aren’t just adorable. There’s a whole lot happening behind the scenes for both you and your baby - and it’s exactly why we make such a big deal about the golden hour.
Know What to Expect Before Baby Arrives
Birth comes with a lot of moving parts. Be Confident: Your Prenatal Essentials helps you feel more prepared for labor, delivery, and those first moments with your baby
Skin-to-skin. Golden hour. You’ve probably heard both terms approximately 500 times while preparing for birth.
But what’s actually happening during that first hour?
Turns out, quite a bit.
Skin-to-skin can help your baby adjust to life outside the womb, regulate their body, support breastfeeding and even benefit you.
So yes, those newborn snuggles are adorable. But they’re also doing some pretty cool things behind the scenes.
Your Baby Has Some Adjusting to Do
Think about it: your baby has spent their entire existence inside your body, and suddenly they’re out here breathing air and expected to figure things out.
Rude.
After birth, your baby’s body has some pretty major adjusting to do. They go from getting oxygen through the umbilical cord to breathing air with their own lungs, while their circulation changes to support them outside the womb.
That’s one of the reasons we LOVE a big bad baby cry after birth. Breathing in that air helps push fluid out of those little lungs.
And having your naked baby against your naked chest can help them through that transition. Your baby can essentially copycat what your heart and lungs are doing while their own body gets the hang of things.
If your baby comes out sounding a little grunty or wet in their lungs, skin-to-skin for at least an hour may also be recommended to help them regulate and clear that fluid.
Congrats, You’re Basically a Space Heater
Remember when Rihanna said “chest to chest, nose to nose”?
Turns out, she was onto something.
Okay, maybe she wasn’t talking about skin-to-skin with your newborn, but stay with me.
The more of your baby’s naked skin that’s against your naked skin, the easier it is for them to regulate their body temperature. Basically, you become their own little space heater.
That’s why I always say you can skip all those onesies in your hospital bag. Keep baby in a diaper and get those skin-to-skin snuggles in, especially during that first hour.
Skin-to-skin can also help regulate your baby’s blood sugar. And beyond all of those big physiological changes, it can help reduce stress and pain sensations while supporting healthy growth, development and weight gain.
Basically, you’re doing a LOT just sitting there cuddling your baby.
Planning to Breastfeed? Skin-to-Skin Can Help
If you’re choosing to breastfeed, that immediate, uninterrupted skin-to-skin time can help facilitate an early latch.
And because your baby is right there on your chest, you can spot those early hunger cues and latch them without a big delay.
And then there’s something pretty freaking cool called the breast crawl.
If you’re patient after birth, you may notice your baby actually start moving themselves toward your breast and eventually self-latch.
Because nature is SO cool.
Plot Twist: Skin-to-Skin Helps You, Too
Skin-to-skin isn’t just about your baby.
It gives you a boost of oxytocin, which helps with bonding between you and baby. That oxytocin can also help with breast milk production and supply and help your uterus cramp down after birth, which can decrease postpartum bleeding.
So when I say skin-to-skin—or kangaroo care—is beneficial for both of you, I really mean both of you.
Protect That Golden Hour
Here’s something I really want you to know: that first hour of skin-to-skin doesn’t automatically need to be interrupted for routine newborn care.
Things like listening to baby’s heart and lungs, measuring their head circumference or administering medications can happen while they’re still skin-to-skin with you. In fact, being on you can give them a little extra comfort while those things are happening.
The exception is if you or baby aren’t doing well and medical intervention is needed.
Otherwise?
That golden hour is yours.
Keep baby close, soak up those newborn snuggles and give their little body some time to adjust to this big, beautiful world.
You and Baby got this, Mama.
