Important Moments for Newborn Babies – The First Hour After Birth

The first to second hours after birth are the most crucial moments for newborns and the best time to help babies interact with their mothers and other family members. The baby will try to open his/her eyes, raise his/her head (looking for his/her mother's voice), while there will be some sucking, tongue stretching, breast-seeking movements, which is the most suitable time to start breast-feeding.

Benefits of immediate skin contact after delivery

• Helping Babies Stay More Stable

Studies have found that babies who have skin-to-skin contact with their mothers after birth have more stable body temperature, heart rate, and breathing, cry less often and for a shorter time, and have fewer episodes of low blood sugar than those who do not.

• Promoting parent-child relationship

When a baby is in the mother's arms, he or she will feel the mother's temperature, smell, heartbeat and sound. The baby will feel satisfied and secured, and then build a sense of trust to the mother. The mother's love will also be triggered by the skin contact with the baby, which will promote a strong breast-feeding desire and start lactation to the baby.

• Increasing mother's uterine contraction

The baby’s early breast sucking can promote uterine contractions. Even if the baby does not suck, skin contact between mother and baby will promote the secretion of maternal hormones, which will help the uterus contract and reduce the chance of postpartum hemorrhage.

• Promoting breast-feeding

Studies found that babies who have skin contact with their mothers are better at sucking their mothers’ breasts, while their mothers will be more confident in breastfeeding. Mothers who have early contact with their babies (parents and children in the same room) will know how to comfort them, know when their babies want to eat, and know when to breastfeed their babies.

How to make skin contact

• After the baby is born and is in stable condition (for example, not preterm and not lethargic due to anesthetics), the medical staff will dry the baby’s skin and place the baby directly on the mother's chest (the baby may wear only a diaper and will not be wrapped in clothing). The mother and baby will be kept warm with a blanket so that they can get to know each other without interruption. The medical staff will teach mothers how to recognize early feeding cues and will assist them with breastfeeding.
• If the time on the delivery table is too short for skin contact, the first contact and lactation shall be initiated as soon as possible in the postpartum recovery room. Even mothers who have received anesthesia during a caesarean section can ask for skin contact with their babies as long as they are awake. There will be nurses to assist the mother throughout the course of skin-to-skin contact whenever there is a need.

Baby's feeling

• Babies enjoy skin contact with their mothers. Although some first-time mothers will not feel accustomed to it, they can adopt this approach to get familiar with their babies.
• After returning to home, the benefits of skin contact continues in  establishing parent-child relationships, pacifying babies and sustaining breast-feeding. For a sleepy baby, skin-to-skin contact may make them more interested in breastfeeding. In addition to the mother, the father can also have skin-to-skin contact with the baby and enjoy the touch and warmth of this process together.