March 13, 2017
Once she’s born, your baby first learns about scent, touch, sight, hearing, taste and trust —along with many other things—from being right there against you. She came from you. And now that she’s here, skin to skin, also known as Kangaroo Care, is a way to maintain that unique closeness you and baby shared when she was in your womb.
When naked baby is put right onto mom’s bare chest, skin to skin, she is usually happier. Remember in the womb, your baby didn’t have to regulate her temperature. So right there next to you helps her stay nice and cozy.
In my experience, babies who are allowed more time skin to skin have better weight gain than those who are not. They literally have access to mom’s breast milk whenever they want it. They also don’t have to use their calories to regulate their own temperatures — they use their energy to grow. This means a happier infant with a stable heart and breathing rate.
When a mother practices skin to skin, her own stress levels are reduced, which can significantly combat post-partum depression. Regularly practicing the closeness only helps you bond with your child, as well as can help you speed up your own labor recovery. With regulated hormones, your levels of maternal oxytocin will increase and that is very good news for your milk supply.
The interest in skin-to-skin contact can be traced back to the late 1970s when doctors in Bogatá, Columbia ran out of incubators to keep the hospital newborns warm so instead they put the tiny babies right on bare chests to keep them warm. The babies thrived and people began to take notice.
Here are few tips I like to suggest to promote skin-to-skin for new mothers: