Skin-to-skin contact, is a most beautiful and love inducing sensation between mother and child. Post birth the baby's nervous system is primed to receive this wondrous feeling. The skin is the largest organ of our body. When skin is touched the pressure receptors send a signal to the brain. One particularly important nerve, the vagus nerve is activated. The activation of this nerve has a number of interesting effects. It results in decrease in blood pressure, and heart rate. In addition, touch reduces levels of cortisol and increases the release of oxytocin which promotes feelings of trust, bonding and devotion.[i] Touch effectively puts us in a state of reduced stress and immerses us in the emotion of love.
Post birth the baby's nervous system is primed to receive this wondrous feeling.
In western culture it is not uncommon for an infant to be separated post birth, particularly with a medicalised birth. Skin-to-skin contact between the mother and baby should occur at the moment of birth, and the naked baby should be placed on the mother’s bare chest, covered with a warm blanket. It has been observed in mammalian neuroscientific studies that ‘the intimate contact inherent in this place (habitat) evokes neurobehaviors ensuring fulfilment of basic biological needs’[ii] and that ‘this time may represent a psychophysiologically 'sensitive period' for programming future physiology and behavior.’ This sensitive period is a window of opportunity for the mother and baby, to experience the most magical period of love and bonding.
The effect of the skin-to-skin contact is not limited to the baby. Research has shown that skin-to-skin contact can reduce the risk to the mother of postnatal depression. In one particular study mothers gave about 5 hours per day of skin-to-skin contact with their babies in the first week following birth and then more than 2 hours per day until the infants were age one month. These mothers had a reduction in their depressive symptoms and physiological stress in the postpartum period.[iii]
Touch not only has the direct physiological benefits to the mother and baby, but it also provides the perfect situation to begin eye-to-eye contact and encourages emotionally positive actions such as cuddling, hugging and kissing. It also has been shown to promote breastfeeding.[iv] There are many other benefits of skin-to-skin contact regarding the maintenance of optimal physiological balance for the baby, including regulation of heart rate, respiration and temperature, to name a few.[v] Babies who experience skin-to-skin contact have reduced crying and fall asleep more easily.[vi] The countless physiological benefits aside, it just feels wondrous, natural, and instinctual. It is how post birth was meant to feel – prolonged periods of immersing into the delight of bonding.
References
[ii] Moore ER, et al. Early skin-to-skin contact for mothers and their healthy newborn infants. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2012 May 16;(5)
[iii] Bigelow A, et al. Effect of mother/infant skin-to-skin contact on postpartum depressive symptoms and maternal physiological stress. J Obstet Gynecol Neonatal Nurs. 2012 May-Jun;41(3):369-82
[iv] Moore ER, et al. Early skin-to-skin contact for mothers and their healthy newborn infants. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2012 May 16;(5)
[vi] Ferreira M, et al. OC20 - Skin-to-skin contact in the first hour of life. Nurs Child Young People. 2016 May 9;28(4):69-70.
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I read the topic about TOUCH and I loved it. Thanks Karishma