The Benefits of Skin-to-Skin Contact with Your Newborn Baby

The moment that your baby is born is a special and indescribable experience. You can not comprehend how tiny they are going to be until you hold them in your arms and embrace them. 

Newborn babies enjoy being close to their mothers and often find it difficult to adapt to life outside of the womb. One of the most widely recommended practices for newborns is skin-to-skin contact with their parents and there are ever-growing cases for the benefits of skin-to-skin contact for newborns. 

Skin-to-skin contact, sometimes referred to as kangaroo care, is the practice where a naked newborn baby is placed against their parent’s (usually the mother’s) bare chest directly after birth, with a blanket placed over the top. While it may seem like a simple act, the benefits of skin-to-skin contact are profound and can help new babies regulate their body temperatures and boost a mother’s milk supply. 

The advantages of skin-to-skin contact are incredible, and in this article, we will explore some of the amazing reasons why you should practice skin-to-skin contact with your newborn following their birth. 

Promotes Bonding and Attachment:

Being close to your baby physically is essential for bonding and creating a strong emotional connection between you and your baby.

Skin-to-skin contact signals to your baby that they are safe and is reassuring for them to be close to their mother directly after giving birth. This not only helps babies to create a strong bond with their parents but also is beneficial for their healthy brain development.

Skin-to-skin contact also encourages the release of the ‘love hormone’ – oxytocin, which helps parents bond with their newborns and can help reduce post-natal depression in new mothers. 

Helps Newborns to Regulate their Temperature:

Newborn babies are unable to regulate their temperature until they are several weeks old and rely on their parents to keep them warm. When a baby is born they struggle to keep themselves warm so placing them on their mother’s chest helps them to regulate their body temperature. 

If the mother is unable to practice skin-to-skin contact, being skin-to-skin with their other parent or family member is just as beneficial and will help to regulate a newborn’s temperature instantly. 

Stabilizes a Newborn’s Heart Rate and Breathing:

The first moments once they are born can be difficult for a newborn baby as they learn to cope with being outside of the womb.

Their little bodies are put under a lot of strain as they have to learn how to breathe and feed without the help of the umbilical cord. Therefore skin-to-skin contact can greatly help newborns stabilise their breathing and heart rates, creating a stable pattern for their lungs and hearts to follow. 

It is also thought that the sound of their mother’s heart during skin-to-skin contact is soothing and familiar, and allows babies to relax. 

Allows a Newborn to Initiate Breastfeeding:

While practicing skin-to-skin contact a baby will instinctively begin to initiate breastfeeding and providing they are not interrupted are very capable of searching for their mother’s breast and latching on. UNICEF describes this process excellently here and emphasises how important it is to allow a newborn the time and patience to complete this process. 

Skin-to-skin contact also stimulates the release of prolactin, the hormone responsible for milk production, and together mother and baby can successfully breastfeed shortly after birth. This is an important process for newborns, as the process of childbirth is exhausting for your baby too. 

Soothes your Newborn and Reduces Stress 

Being apart from their mother, especially after birth, is stressful for a newborn, as they are entirely reliant on their parents for survival. There have been studies that show that babies held by their mothers during skin-to-skin are less prone to crying and generally less stressed than those who were separated. 

The practice of skin-to-skin is soothing to a newborn, which reduces their stress which in turn is crucial to their healthy brain development and beneficial to their sleeping patterns.  

Boosts your Baby’s Immune System:

Allowing your baby to lie on your chest during skin-to-skin exposes your newborn to your skin’s natural flora which can aid in the development of your baby’s immune system. Early exposure to their mother’s natural skin bacteria can assist your baby in creating their own good bacteria which in turn boosts their brand-new immune system. 

This sharing of good bacteria during skin-to-skin can help to decrease the risk of infections and illnesses, giving your baby the best start in life. 

Regulates Blood Sugar Levels:

Another key benefit of skin-to-skin contact is how it can stabilize blood sugar levels. Before birth, a newborn’s blood sugar is regulated via the placenta, by the mother, however, once a baby is born they need to learn how to regulate their own blood sugar. 

The closeness of skin-to-skin contact helps to regulate your baby’s temperature and in turn conserves a newborn’s brown fat, which stabilises their blood sugar level and prevents it from dropping. Ensuring that your baby’s blood sugar level is regulated will help your baby to feed more effectively and be beneficial to their overall health. 

Safety Considerations: 

The safety of a newborn baby should always be prioritised over the benefits of skin-to-skin contact and during this practice, the health of the baby should be monitored. A close eye should be kept on their breathing, skin colour, and temperature to ensure that the baby does not have any health concerns. Special care should be taken to make sure that a newborn baby is kept warm, so regular checks on their condition during skin-to-skin contact should be made. 

During skin-to-skin contact a close eye should also be kept on the mother, to ensure that her health remains constant and help should be given to the mother if requested or needed during skin-to-skin contact. 

Final thoughts

Skin-to-skin contact is not only a chance to cuddle your new baby, it’s a vital practice that helps newborns adapt to their new environment. Being skin-to-skin with your newborn has a multitude of benefits that are important to help newborns regulate their body temperature, boost their immune system, and promote a strong connection with your child. 

Embracing this beautiful practice not only nurtures your baby’s health and development but also strengthens the loving bond that will last a lifetime. So take advantage of these precious first moments, hold your newborn close, and be safe in the knowledge that you are helping your baby to thrive in your warm, loving embrace.