EXPERT'S WORD FROM THE FRENCH BRAND NATURIOÙ, SITE SPECIALIZED IN PHYSIOLOGICAL BABY CARRIERS AND CHILDCARE ITEMS, SINCE 2010.
Practice the skin to skin with your newborn is meant to be a magical moment, perhaps even one of the most beautiful moments of your life. It's a privilege for parents that happens right after your baby's first few seconds of life.
This practice can be a source of questions: what is it? What are the benefits for baby and parents? When and how to practice it? Find out everything you need to know about skin-to-skin to be ready on the big day.
You may have heard of skin to skin or even kangaroo method ? Several names for a practice which consists, during the birth of your baby, of taking the latter (naked or with a diaper) to place him chest to mom's or dad's chest.
Skin to skin is no longer a practice reserved for premature babies. This helps warm your child and reassure him, generally in the birthing room. The medical profession recommends practicing skin-to-skin contact from the first moments of life.
This skin to skin is full of important benefits for your baby :
- Regulate your body temperature
- Regulate your heart rate
- Regulate your breathing rate
- Regulate your blood sugar level
- Neurobehavioral benefits
- Start the first feedings
It is a smooth transition from her intrauterine life to the outside world. In short, your baby is comfortable, reassured, feels confident and the cherry on the cake: cries much less because he is soothed.
For parents too, skin-to-skin contact is an undeniable source of benefits:
- Create a bond with your offspring
- Reduce the risk of depression in dads
- Reduce the risk of baby blues for mothers
- Help with breastfeeding
- Increase the feeling of parental competence
- Have a better relationship with their spouse
In summary: don’t deprive yourself of it!
The dad, today, is no longer simply a spectator of these magical moments of pregnancy or childbirth: he becomes a real actor with an essential role alongside the mother. The mother has, in fact, cohabited for 9 months with this long-awaited little being, but what about the father? Being present during childbirth is good, dads are not just there to make up the numbers. You have to think about create that unique bond which unites a dad and his newborn. That’s good: skin to skin is perfect for that!
To practice skin to skin with the dad, he must of course be comfortably seated. In an armchair, in a bed with your head elevated, it doesn't matter, you have to be relaxed and awake.
It is preferable to use either a carrying strap, a blanket or a skin-to-skin t-shirt . The baby's head must be visible and his airways clear.
The first installations will normally be done in the maternity ward, a nursery nurse will help to ensure that the baby is well. It is very important that your child is naked, or simply in a diaper, otherwise skin-to-skin contact will not be possible.
Once in condition, baby will then be placed on your chest, facing you, with his head turned to the side. The midwife or nurse will check whether everything is being done to ensure the safety of your newborn.
In the maternity ward or at home, skin to skin is not just reserved for mothers. Dads can also take advantage of this intimate contact to get to know their baby.
In certain situations, this can be even more important:
- The mother had a cesarean section and must be left alone for a few hours
- The mother must rest peacefully
- While breastfeeding the older child
- During the period of stay in the maternity ward, then continue at home
Gentle method which helps soothe baby , skin to skin is the best solution to enable a transition from intrauterine to extrauterine life for your child. Thanks to this, he will acclimatize more simply and easily to his new environment, which can seem hostile for a newborn. Whether in the medical field or within the family, skin-to-skin contact has become commonplace over the years. Not all maternity wards or midwives can discover the skin to skin to dads, perhaps due to lack of information? knowledge? In any case, do not hesitate to ask for it and recommend it to the hospital, then, above all, to continue it once you return home.
