Doing skin to skin takes intention. As a doula, I see many new parents at postpartum visits who admit that they aren’t actually holding their baby in this way. It’s not often that we lay around our house without a shirt (or maybe you do) and when we have a new infant we want to bundle them up and put on those adorable baby clothes we’ve been staring at for months. Having baby held against the parent’s bare chest helps them to feel secure and regulates their body temperature, breathing, blood sugar and heart rate. This time spent uncovered also helps a baby to kickstart its natural instinct to breastfeed. Skin to skin increases the breastfeeding mother’s level of prolactin, the hormone responsible for milk production and also helps soothe a fussy baby.
Here are some easy tips that help a new parent jump into skin to skin:
Diaper only. Resist the urge to have your newborn clothed for a majority of the day. Place the baby to your bare chest and cover them up with a cotton swaddle or a warmer baby blanket during the colder months.
If breastfeeding, skip the nursing bra. It’s better to let your breasts air out anyway.
Consider buying a postpartum robe. Instead of wearing a shirt, use a robe to cover up and then you have easy access to your skin!
Place your diapered baby in a carrier or sling against your bare chest. Wear them this way around your house or head out on a walk with a big sweater covering you both.
Bath time. This is a beautiful time to hold baby to your skin and the added element of warm water typically calms a baby as it mimics life in-utero.
Educate your partner on the benefits of skin to skin and encourage them to spend time bonding this way.