What are the benefits of skin-to-skin contact with baby? How and when to do it?
Transcript
What are the benefits of skin-to-skin contact with baby? How and when to do it?
Skin-to-skin contact means place your naked baby on your bare chest shortly after birth. This allows you to have direct and intimate skin contact with your baby. Skin-to-skin contact gives your baby warmth and emotional security, it regulates your baby's heartbeat and breathing, promotes bonding between you and your baby, and also aids your breastmilk secretion. Thus, improves the chance of successful breastfeeding. Skin-to-skin contact should take place within half an hour after birth in the delivery room. If your condition is unfavorable, the father can take up the role to provide skin-to-skin contact with the baby. It helps to soothe and calm the baby and strengthens parental relationship.
Aside from the first contact, we encourage father or mother, to have skin-to-skin contact with the baby from time to time, e.g. in hospital, at home, before nursing/ expressing milk, or even when the baby cries.