Skin with skin or called the Kangaroo method is more and more common in maternity wards. Indirect contact with mom or dad, skin to skin brings many benefits to make the arrival of the baby a moment of tenderness and well-being. But do you know everything about this practice? A visit to mommy adventuresmakes you understand more about it.
Skin to skin, what is it?
The moment of birth is very important for the mother and the newborn. During the first hours after delivery, the baby is in what the experts call the sensitive period. The goal: to go looking for mom. And for that, nature is well done. A hormone called norepinephrine sharpens the baby’s sense of smell. This helps him memorize the smell of his mother, reinforcing and establishing the emotional connection between the two. A link that makes it imperative that baby and mom be together is called skin-to-skin contact.
What are the advantages?
But it’s not just the hormones that do the work. Nature also prepares the body of the mother to receive the baby. Did you know that your chest is warmer after delivery? This helps maintain your baby’s body temperature.
If you have decided to breastfeed, this skin-to-skin contact also promotes early breastfeeding. Surprisingly, if you leave a baby on your mother’s body, he is able to crawl up to the breasts for the first feeding. Skin-to-skin contact brings benefits not only to your little one but also to you, moms. Studies show that early mother-to-child contact would reduce symptoms of postpartum depression. This emotional connection is also fundamental in premature babies. This helps to encourage baby’s development in a healthier and safer way.
Do not take it lightly
In principle, this contact between mom and baby should not hurt. But rare cases of sudden death occurred at the time of contact with the mother. Although the causes are unknown, caution should be exercised and some recommendations are taken into account.
Skin with baby: our advice
For skin to skin with baby safely:
In the first moments after delivery, the nurses will stay with the new mother. They will be able to do the contact tests without having to interfere in these first moments. Later, dad will be very caring for mom and baby, especially if fatigue is present.
If mom wants to stay alone, it is best to inform a nurse or leave a baby in the crib. It is also important to monitor a baby’s breathing and, if there is a change, immediately inform a health professional. If you have opted for breastfeeding, the mother can ask for help and advice from specialists regarding all aspects of posture, sucking, placement of the baby, etc.
Maybe now, when the whirlwind of the first few months will give way to some calm, now is the time to ask: am I happy? What did this maternity bring me? And when you get the answer, share it with us: we’re waiting for your stories.
His arms: your thumb and forefinger form a screw ring from top to bottom. His little hands: you help Baby to slowly open his hands by massaging his palm, making small circles; for Baby’s feet, we place his foot between your thumb and your middle finger and we make small circles on his plant and his feet. His back: we put hands wrapping in a movement back and forth from the back to the buttocks and buttocks to the neck and then we can also put a baby in position of little Buddha.