HealthPartners - Preparing for childbirth

CHAPTER 7 Your New Baby

Skin-to-Skin Contact Immediately after birth, the care team will quickly check your baby, place them on your chest, and cover you both with a warm blanket. Holding your baby’s bare skin next to yours is comforting for both of you. Your

Benefits of skin-to-skin contact • Soothes and calms both of you

• Helps regulate baby’s temperature, heart rate, breathing, and blood sugar • Enhances bonding • Supports breastfeeding • Helps your uterus contract

SCAN + PLAY

baby will learn the sound of your voice and your smell. You’ll finally get to see this tiny person you’ve carried around inside you for more than 9 months and can begin bonding. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), the best start for breastfeeding is when you hold your baby skin-to-skin after birth and keep holding them until after they have breastfed for the first time. Of course, you can keep holding your baby skin-to-skin even longer if you want to. Your baby’s sense of smell helps them find the breast, and they instinctively know how to latch on and suck. No matter how you plan to feed your baby, skin-to-skin bonding after birth is a best practice for all babies.

Safe skin-to-skin position • You’re semi-reclined or sitting up, alert or with an alert adult nearby • Baby is high up in the middle of your chest, close enough to kiss • Baby’s head is turned on one side, with mouth and nose visible • Baby’s chin is in a neutral position, not slouched • Baby’s arms and legs are flexed, held tight to the side of their body Good to remember • Babies are usually calm and relaxed during skin-to-skin contact • Babies should keep a good skin color and respond to stimulation • Your baby also benefits from skin-to-skin contact with other family members

80 Your Guide to Labor and Birth