The World Health Organization has always recommended that newborn infants be placed “skin to skin” contact with the mother immediately after the birth. There are numerous benefits to doing this, versus no important negative effects.
In the study Puig G, Sguassero Y. Early skin-to-skin contact for mothers and their healthy newborn infants: RHL commentary (last revised: 9 November 2007). The WHO Reproductive Health Library; Geneva, the authors reviewed the practice of placing newborn infants on the mother’s chest starting the first minutes of birth. They reviewed outcomes which influenced breastfeeding, maternal bonding and maternal psychological changes which are influenced by sensory stimuli such as touch, smell and warmth.
Though the sample sizes in the above particular study for long term analysis were not very large, it was safe to conclude that early skin to skin contact between mother and newborn infant indeed noticeably reduces crying, improves mother-infant interaction, keeps the baby warmer, and helps mother breastfeed successfully.
At Healthy Mother Natural Birth Center, The Sanctum, over the course of nearly 140 births, we have seen this scenario being played over and over again. We recommend and practice immediate skin to skin contact between our mothers and their newborn babies. We have seen repeatedly mothers experience an unspeakable rush of emotion as they see the newborn baby on their chest. This rush, which some may express in medical terms as the pouring out of the hormonal cocktails, causes them to forget all of the labor pains, the emotional ups and downs and apprehensions during their pregnancy, and helps them navigate through this rite of passage to motherhood.
P.S. As if this was not enough we were treated to an amazing example of the incredible strength of skin to skin contact when we saw this link to news that an Australian mother held her newborn infant in this position for two hours and revived him after doctors pronounced him to be dead. Now that is a miracle…. or is it really? In Midwifery Model of Care we look at mother and baby as one holistic unit, with the baby’s wellbeing depending on how well mother is cared for and vice versa. Mother is the primary caregiver to her baby and her emotional and physical resources are strengthened and fortified in order to care for her baby.