Why should babies have skin-to-skin contact immediately after birth?

The article was professionally consulted by Doctor Bui Minh Phuc - Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Vinmec Ha Long International General Hospital.

Skin-to-skin - when a newborn is placed against the mother's or father's skin in skin-to-skin contact 30 minutes to 1 hour after birth. This is a measure that brings a lot of benefits to the health of mother and baby. So what are the specific benefits of skin-to-skin contact and why should parents give babies skin-to-skin contact right after birth?
Skin-to-skin contact is placing a naked baby on the mother's bare chest or belly. The baby's face, chest, abdomen and legs are close to the mother, there is no gap, so the baby's head is tilted to one side close to the mother's lap. This measure should be done continuously for at least 1 hour right after birth and repeated as much as possible during the first few weeks after birth. Babies can also have skin-to-skin contact with their father after they have had their first skin-to-skin contact with their mother. For caesarean section, skin-to-skin contact should also be done when the mother is awake and stable.
So what are the specific benefits of skin-to-skin contact and why is it important for babies to have skin-to-skin contact right after birth?
The method of skin-to-skin contact of babies after birth is recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) to apply. In Vietnam, since 2014, the Ministry of Health has also guided the implementation of this measure to bring positive effects to the health of mothers and babies after birth.

Skin-to-skin contact is the most wonderful way for mother and child to integrate, transmit love to each other, get ready for a mother's parenting and care process to begin, connect motherhood, fatherhood, and pregnancy. There are many great benefits from skin-to-skin contact between parents and children.
Babies are kept warm, stabilizing heart rate, breathing rate and blood sugar: Babies who are kept warm in the mother's womb when they go out into a cold natural environment are more susceptible to hypothermia. The mother's skin, especially the chest area, is always warm, so when the baby's skin is in direct contact with the mother's skin, it will be warmed. Skin-to-skin contact also helps children self-regulate their heart rate, breathing rate is more stable. Babies who are kept warm will reduce their energy expenditure to keep their bodies warm, on the other hand, babies are also breastfed earlier, so babies in skin-to-skin contact with their mothers will have higher and more stable blood sugar levels than babies who don't. applied this method.
Babies are less fussy: When there is skin-to-skin contact with the mother, the body reduces the secretion of cortisol (a stress substance), the feeling of familiarity, the mother's cuddles, caresses and the steady rise and fall according to the mother's movements. The breathing of a young mother often has a deeper and longer sleep when she has to be separated from her mother.
Facilitating baby's brain development: Skin-to-skin contact creates stimulation of many senses, helping to form and develop neural pathways, necessary reflexes for brain maturation, activate memory, sympathetic nervous system quickly in children. In addition, skin-to-skin contact also helps the baby easily fall into a long and deep natural sleep, creating conditions for rest after leaving the mother's body and later in the child's development.
Stimulating the digestive system, helping the baby gain weight evenly: Skin-to-skin helps the baby quickly regain balance, the vagus nerve is activated, increasing the size of the micro-capillaries in the intestinal lumen of the baby. This increases the absorption of nutrients in the intestines, resulting in a healthy digestive system and stable weight gain. Skin-to-skin contact reduces cortisol levels, which also helps children digest and absorb food better, less digestive disorders. On the other hand, babies who are kept warm reduce the use of brown fat and blood sugar, so they gain better weight.
Strengthening the baby's immune system: Skin-to-skin contact is a way for the baby to receive familiar bacteria from the mother to help the baby's body strengthen antibodies along with the amount of antibodies received from the mother's blood while in utero and antibodies. Through breast milk, create a good immune system to protect the baby's body against bacteria in the new environment, protect themselves, and strengthen the immune system against the environment outside the womb. This is the first step for your child to continue to thrive in a new environment. This is especially important for babies born by cesarean section because they are not exposed to the healthy flora of the mother's birth canal.
Babies are breastfed early, milk comes in early and more often: Skin-to-skin helps stimulate the baby's instinct to find the breast more, creating the opportunity for the baby to find the mother's breast on his own, to suckle earlier and longer. Babies suckling early, long and a lot will stimulate the mother's body to produce oxytocin and prolactin to help milk come in sooner, more in the long run.
For mothers, skin-to-skin contact brings even more benefits. After giving birth, it is often difficult for the mother to get rid of the pain and fatigue, but skin-to-skin contact with the baby is like a pain reliever, helping the mother to feel comfortable, content and extremely happy. At the time of skin-to-skin contact with the baby after birth, the mother's blood pressure gradually returned to a stable state, the pain disappeared, happiness surged, and the possibility of postpartum depression was greatly reduced.
Skin-to-skin with mom and dad is the first way to bond parent-child affection, giving children safety as well as a certain closeness.
Babies born by cesarean skin-to-skin also have many benefits. The state of caesarean section causes mothers to breastfeed their babies late, reducing the rate of breastfeeding in the first place. Skin-to-skin contact helps to solve the problem of lazy babies to breastfeed after being separated from their mothers for a certain period of time. While waiting for the mother to settle down to have skin-to-skin contact, the baby should have skin-to-skin contact with the father first, providing safety for the baby after birth.

Skin-to-skin contact should be done regularly, not just immediately after birth. To be really effective for skin-to-skin contact, parents need to do it regularly. Specifically, skin-to-skin contact at each time brings practical effects:
0-90 minutes after birth: Important for baby's brain development 0-6 hours after birth: Helps stabilize breathing and heart rate during the recovery period 6-24 hours after birth : Helps baby form a breastfeeding schedule and a stable sleep cycle 12h - 8 weeks postpartum : Strengthens mother-child bonding Now skin-to-skin contact has been practiced It is widely practiced in hospitals in Vietnam, but not everywhere is properly implemented and understands the effects and maintenance of skin-to-skin contact in the future for children and parents. Understanding the importance of skin-to-skin contact is a process, Vinmec International General Hospital not only gives mothers and babies skin-to-skin contact right after birth, but also guides them to maintain skin-to-skin contact between baby and parents during pregnancy. next time.
At Vinmec International General Hospital, 100% of pregnant mothers who give birth at Vinmec have skin-to-skin contact with their baby after birth, are guided, and maintain postpartum measures to ensure the effectiveness and benefits of the measure. this. Register for maternity package at Vinmec to experience a comprehensive delivery service, apply skin-to-skin to the fullest with the joy of welcoming new members with Vinmec.