Have you heard of skin to skin with your new baby?
Skin to skin is when baby is on mum or dads chest without any clothing or without being wrapped up. Ideally we have the opportunity of skin to skin straight after baby is born but we can also do skin to skin in the day hours days and weeks after baby is born as well with lots of benefits.
SKIN TO SKIN WILL HELP REGULATE BABY’S BODY TEMPERATURE AND BABY’S RESPIRATION
and thats really important because if that doesn’t occur quite quickly it’s one of the reasons that babies can be whisked off to special care units and mum and baby can be separated which is quite dramatic and not really what you want happening at your at your baby’s birth.
WE KNOW THAT INTO SKIN HELPS INCREASE OXYTOCIN
that hormone of love , that we love to have in our Labour and birth and also postnatally for breastfeeding. Increasing oxytocin helps that bond with mum and baby.
OXYTOCIN WILL ALSO HELP THE PLACENTA FALL AWAY FROM THE INSIDE OF THE UTERUS
and ideally one of the things as a doula I really try to encourage is to get baby straight onto mums chest and then when baby is ready to try and attach baby onto the nipple because nipple stimulation will increase oxytocin and allow that placenta to fall away. For my clients who want a physiological third stage of Labour (which means no intervention with birthing the placenta) that nipple stimulation for oxytocin is really important.
ACTIVE MANAGEMENT OF YOUR THIRD STAGE OF LABOUR INVOLVES YOUR CARE PROVIDER GIVING YOU AN INJECTION OF SYNTOCINON (A SYNTHETIC FORM OF OXYTOCIN) TO SPEED UP THE PLACENTA FALLING AWAY FROM THE INSIDE OF THE UTERUS.WE FIND IS THAT SKIN TO SKIN HELPS CALM THE BABY and it also has that calming effect on mum. Birth is a big deal – there’s a lot going on and there’s quite an adrenaline rush to help baby to be born so that adrenaline can sometimes make mom feel quite shaky again having that skin to skin creates the oxytocin and allows mom to be nice and calm.
LOW MILK SUPPLY CAN BE BOOSTED BY SKIN TO SKIN in those days and weeks postnatally so if you do find that your milk supply is a little low or you’re finding a few challenges with breastfeeding as a doula I recommend my clients pop into bed and spend a whole day of just skin to skin and sometimes, with lots of beautiful food and nutrition and support, that can be enough.
4 BENEFITS OF SKIN TO SKIN
increases oxytocin and bonding with baby
increases milk supply
regulates baby’s breathing, body temperature and blood glucose levels
