Skin to skin

Skin to skin is important for two main reasons - 1) to trigger oxytocin release, and 2) to help your baby regulate all their systems.

I'll go into more detail below why oxytocin is so important. First, let's have a look at how skin to skin affects your baby:

Why babies need skin to skin

Newborns are rubbish at self-regulation. They rely on you for that. They did during pregnancy, and the process of birth does little to change that.

The snipping of the cord is an illusion. They are still part of you. They still need you in a very real, physical way.

Skin to skin helps your baby regulate her:

• temperature
• breathing
• heart rate
• oxygen levels

Feeding

Skin-to-skin stimulates feeding behaviours (in both of you). If you are hoping not to breastfeed, skin to skin is still beneficial and worth doing. I would argue that it is even more important. We all know that breastfeeding is the normal way to feed babies - we are all mammals after all. If a mother chooses not to, or is unable, she might be worried about what her baby is missing out on. Skin to skin goes some way to help make up for it.

If you do plan to breastfeed, being skin to skin with you will stimulate rooting, enable them to find the nipple and latch on well.

Regardless of how you feed your baby, skin-to-skin helps stimulate digestion.

Protect against infection

When the baby is promptly returned "home" to his natural habitat - your body - he is colonised by the correct bacteria - his mother's. This helps support his immune system.

Maternal-infant bond

Oxytocin is the hormone of love and bonding - an essential ingredient in fostering healthy, secure attachment.

Mental well-being

Skin to skin helps to calm and relax both mother and baby. It helps to reduce cortisol (stress hormone) levels. In this way, it helps to elevate mood and soothe discomfort.

Let's take it a step further: what could be the effect on the mother's mental well-being (and her baby's) if they are deprived of this important step in the birth process? It can negatively affect mood and leave the mum more vulnerable to things like depression.

Skin-to-skin can vastly improve a mother's experience. Even when birth is traumatic, she's likely to feel happier about the process and the way she is cared for if she gets to cuddle her baby right away.

Just as any other mammal, this isn't a crumb of niceness we throw to women - it's a deeply primal need we are obliged to honour whenever we possibly can.

If you're not well cared for or supported, or if you are unable to have skin to skin because you are your baby are not well enough, you might experience a tricky start. You might be more likely to take a while to develop loving feelings towards your baby. All mums and babies are different to begin with, and if your birth was very hard, or if you missed out on skin to skin together, that can make it even more tricky. Please be loving and patient with yourself!

If you're having a natural 3rd stage:

Skin to skin is important for all mother-baby pairs, but even more important if the mother is planning a natural 3rd stage.

The 3rd stage begins when the baby is born, and ends when the placenta is also out.

Lots of mothers are offered an injection to speed up this process, but many can give birth to the placenta just fine, powered only by the contractions they experience after the baby is born. If the birth is straightforward, with minimal disturbance or interruption, your body is primed to release the placenta shortly after the baby is born.

The feel of your baby against you, the pheremones coming off their head and whooshing up your nose - these factors trigger a surge of oxytocin that causes contractions. These won't be anywhere near as intense as before your baby was born! But they will help the placenta shear away and descend. It's especially important, for a natural 3rd stage, that there is no barrier between the two of you - no hat, no swaddle. Just a light cover over you both.

Babies are born with a crawling reflex to help them find the breast. These little wiggles and kicks against your abdomen give your womb a bit of a massage, which can also assist in a natural 3rd stage.

To my mind, the most important part of this oxytocin surge is that it doesn't just cause the womb to contract. It acts on blood vessels, as well. This helps guard against excessive bleeding. Remember it is normal to lose some blood during the process. In pregnancy, you have roughly 50% more blood in your body, to sustain and grow your little passenger. Your body expects to lose this. But of course you don't want to lose too much, and this is why that huge hit of oxytocin is vital and protective. The injection is intended to serve the same purpose.

How do I ensure skin-to-skin with my baby?

If you're giving birth in hospital, check whether they are supportive of this practise. They should be! Especially if they are part of the Baby Friendly Initiative. Write a birth plan and state your wishes on there. Discuss with your midwife or doctor. Tell them how important this is to you. Plan to also delay cord cutting if you can - it is good for many reasons, including physically preventing your baby being separated from you!

What if mum and baby can't do skin to skin at birth?

Mention on your birth plan who you would like to do this for you if you're unable. If dad is present, he is an excellent stand in! Skin to skin with somebody is better than none.

Dads who are present at birth should try to get skin to skin anyway - ideally after baby has adjusted to life outside and had their first feed.

If a father spends 30 minutes skin to skin with his baby on the first day of life, it rewires his brain for parenting.

Nils Bergman

Sometimes it's that the baby isn't well enough for skin to skin straight away. This is unusual, and very stressful for the whole family. The good news is - it's never too late. Cuddle your baby, skin to skin, as soon and as often as you can, and know that you are doing a very good thing for them.

How long?

The World Health Organisation recommends 90 minutes of uninterrupted skin to skin at birth.

UNICEF recommends skin to skin at birth "at least until after the first feed, or for as long as they wish". This is part of their Baby Friendly Iniatitive.

My best suggestion: these are good recommendations as a minimum. There is no upper limit. Keep your baby skin-to-skin with you as long as you can, and recreate this together ✨️often✨️. It's powerfully good for BOTH of you!

______________________________

Further resources:

Come along and join me for Antenatal classes

Read this study from the National Institute of Health

Or this one, about the importance of SSC for fathers

Childbirth & the Evolution of Homo Sapiens by Michel Odent

Thank you for reading! I originally wrote a shorter version of this post for social media. I welcome your feedback and experiences. Did you get skin-to-skin with your baby at birth? What effect do you think this had on you both?

_________________________