Skin-to-skin contact is the practice of stripping your baby naked and embracing him or her right against your own naked skin. Anyone can do skin-to-skin – mothers, fathers, grandparents, or any caregiver, but it’s essential for mom to do it during the hour after birth.

You can use a special shirt for skin-to-skin contact or simply wrap a blanket around you and your little one to keep everyone warm. Most maternity wards and NICUs insist on skin-to-skin these days because the benefits are just so obvious.

1. Skin-to-skin keeps your baby warm

In the early days of life (especially right after delivery), babies struggle to keep their temperatures up. Passing heat from mom or dad to baby directly with skin contact is an excellent way to help them learn how to regulate their temperatures.

2. Skin-to-skin prevents stopped breathing

Immature baby systems can sometimes temporarily stop breathing. Most of the time they start on their own when their brains “wake up” to it, but mom or dad’s even breaths can help teach them how to maintain a healthy rhythm through synchronization.

3. Skin-to-skin reduces postpartum depression

Postpartum depression is a very real concern that mothers face. When mom holds baby right against her body, complex hormonal patterns reinforce a feeling of wellbeing in mom that battles away delivery blues. Scientists think that not experiencing these happy-safe-secure feelings might instigate depression, as the body interprets it as something gone wrong. It’s a great remedy because it’s free and babies love it.

4. Skin-to-skin helps breastfeeding

Studies show that babies who are put on their mother’s chest immediately after birth are more likely to breastfeed sooner and better than children who are immediately swaddled before their first feeding.

5. Skin-to-skin creates a tighter bond

The hour after birth is called “The Golden Hour,” where both mom and baby’s bodies are in optimal mental and hormonal states to create a strong connection. Essentially, both bodies are flooded with oxytocin and by embracing one another, form a loving bond.

6. Skin-to-skin helps babies sleep

You can perform skin-to-skin anytime, not just after birth. By returning to that warm, comforting, snuggly place, babies fall asleep easier. Even if you have never done skin-to-skin, you’ve probably noticed that your baby likes to fall asleep on your chest. They are comforted by the sound and feeling of your heartbeat, your breathing and your blood flow. 

Written by Alicia Overby - Founder & President of Baby Elephant Ears

Alicia is wife, mother, and creator of Baby Elephant Ears. Baby Elephant Ears was created out of parental concern, not financial desire. In 2005, when their second child was an infant, he cried all the time and just couldn't seem to get comfortable.

After seeking advice and suggestion from the medical community and alternative medicine, they eventually ended up in the chiropractors office where their baby was successfully treated for asubluxation, discomfort most likely the result of the strain during labor, which was now being exacerbated by the normal lack of infant neck strength. Only proper neck, head, and back alignment would offer him relief. When they couldn't find a product to give their baby the necessary support, Alicia took matters into her own hands and crafted her own infant support pillow. The first Baby Elephant Ears was born!

For more information, visit www.babyelephantears.com.

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