The benefits of skin-to-skin for you and your baby
The sense of touch was the first sense to develop before your baby was born, and your baby will use touch to seek food through their sucking and rooting reflexes, to explore and make sense of the world and for comfort.[1]
Your baby is born dependent on others for their safety, comfort and food; before they were born all their needs were met immediately and they have been used to a consistent temperature.
After birth, they will be experiencing lots of things for the first time, with new stimulation coming from the things that they see and hear. Initially, touch and smell will provide them with simpler signals, so you'll see them turning when their cheek is touched, ready to feed or sucking for comfort or recognising your smell when you are close to them.[2]
Touch and attachment
Touch is also an important part of building their relationship with you and the people around them (your baby will have recognised your voice and smell when they were born).[2]
Your baby will be comforted by being close to you and when they are held, their heart rate will synchronise with yours, and if you are calm they are also likely to calm.[3]
Skin-to-skin contact is encouraged soon after birth, when this is possible, as it is thought that this helps the newborn baby to calm, to regulate their temperature and skin-to-skin contact with their mother can help with breastfeeding.[4] You might find that your baby continues to find skin-to-skin contact comforting, and this could be something that you try if they are unsettled, or regularly to give you both some time to relax together.
Some researchers suggest regular skin-to-skin contact might reduce symptoms of postnatal depression and that this contact supports the development of attachment.[5]
Research also shows that skin-to-skin contact with parents supports attachment and parents’ confidence, as well as offering comfort to the baby.[6]
You might find that touch is comforting to your baby, and as well as skin-to-skin contact, touching your baby as you play with them and care for them will provide them with reassurance and a sense of connection to you.
In the next few months, you will get to know what your baby finds comforting when they are tired or unsettled; as they develop control of their movements they will begin to find ways to soothe themselves and to attract your attention so that you can provide comfort to them.
References:
[1] Goddard-Blythe, S. (2004). The Well Balanced Child: Movement and Early Learning. Stroud: Hawthorn Press.
[2] Addyman, C (2020) The laughing baby: The extraordinary science behind what makes babies happy. London: Unbound.
[3] Gerhardt, S. (2004) Why love matters. How affection shapes a baby’s brain. Hove: Bruner-Routledge.
[4] Unicef (undated) Skin-to skin contact. (Online) Available at: Skin-to-skin contact - Baby Friendly Initiative (unicef.org.uk). Accessed on 14th October 2021.
[5] Norholt, H (2020) Revisiting the roots of attachment: A review of the biological and psychological effects of maternal skin-to-skin contact and carrying of full-term infants. Infant Behavior and Development. 60, 2020, Available at: Revisiting the roots of attachment: A review of the biological and psychological effects of maternal skin-to-skin contact and carrying of full-term infants - ScienceDirect Accessed on 14th October 2021.
[6] Chen, E. M., Gau, M. L., Liu, C. Y., & Lee, T. Y. (2017). Effects of Father-Neonate Skin-to-Skin Contact on Attachment: A Randomized Controlled Trial. Nursing research and practice, 2017, 8612024. https://doi.org/10.1155/2017/8612024