The first need of a newborn is not to eat, it is contact with its mother's skin

In a small town in the interior of Argentina, a group of artists exhibits their works every week in an open-air market. Each piece is original and unique. But what draws the most attention are the signs, which say “Touch me” and “You can touch me.”

Each human being is a work of art, unrepeatable and unique. That the newborn is touched and caressed at birth is a basic need. In terms of survival, people are designed to establish social relationships and maintain physical contact with our environment.

In 1994, the American psychologist Jay Seth Rosenblatt observed that mammals had contact with the calf immediately after giving birth. This significantly influences the relationship between mother and child, as well as their subsequent physical and biological evolution.

Surely, many fathers and mothers ask themselves these questions: how should one proceed with a baby as soon as it is born? How long should we wait to touch it and maintain contact with it? Is it good to do it? And, if so, how should it be carried out? Can anyone touch a newborn? Is this practice carried out in all hospitals and with all mothers?

Kangaroo mother care
We call contact “skin-to-skin” when the baby is placed face down on the mother's chest or belly, without clothing separating them. Both should be covered to prevent heat loss. In 1979 it began to be called “kangaroo mother care” when it was carried out with premature babies. Currently it tends to be classified as “kangaroo mother/father care”, since the other parent or caregiver can also be involved in the practice.

There is a time window for the effects of skin-to-skin contact to be sustained in the long term. According to the results of studies, mother and baby are especially receptive during the first two hours after birth, which is known as the “sensitive period.” And within the first 30 minutes, the baby's sucking reflex is more active, so the method favors the beginning of breastfeeding.

Some studies show that only half of babies maintain early contact, and this is less than 15 minutes. In hospital routines there is a lack of knowledge in the team or other care is prioritized. Emily R. Smith, from Harvard University, concluded that starting breastfeeding between 2 and 23 hours after birth carries a 33% higher risk of infant mortality compared to starting it in the first hour.

Specifically, the World Health Organization (WHO) recommends that at least 80% of mothers of full-term babies have this contact with their baby immediately or within five minutes after birth, and prolong it for at least an hour or more uninterruptedly.

More smiles and health benefits
Skin-to-skin contact positively influences the mother's emotional state: it makes her smile more, kiss her baby, look at him and talk to him. But it also affects the behavior of the newborn: he will cry less and smile more.

In addition, other physiological benefits have been determined with a direct impact on the health of the mother and son or daughter. Contact prevents temperature losses, reduces both caloric expenditure and blood glucose levels, prevents anxiety and contributes to increasing the duration of sleep, among other effects.

In addition to what was mentioned above, one of the greatest benefits of putting the baby in contact with its mother is that it promotes the beginning and maintenance of breastfeeding. Therefore, when they launched the Initiative for the Humanization of Birth and Breastfeeding Care (BFHI), WHO and the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) included this recommendation in step 4.

Skin-to-skin contact and the initiation and maintenance of breastfeeding should be priority objectives of maternity hospitals. This practice saves lives, prevents diseases and saves healthcare costs by improving the health status of mothers and children.

During the pandemic, it was shown that if kangaroo mother care is not practiced, there is an increased risk of death among premature or low birth weight babies. Furthermore, this risk is 65 times greater than that of dying from Covid-19 infection.

Contact is vital in small and premature babies
On November 15, the WHO published a press release with new guidelines for the care of premature and low-weight newborns, based on the results of more than 200 studies. In these cases, experts strongly recommend skin-to-skin contact, maintaining it as long as possible and with a minimum of 8 hours per day. The benefits in survival, thermal protection and initiation of breastfeeding are indisputable.

Attachment is considered the physical and emotional bond between the baby and its reference figure from birth to three years. This innately predisposes us biologically to ensure our survival as a species. So the first thing a caretaker can do with her majestic work of art is to provide it with proximity, protection and security. Skin-to-skin contact will allow the newborn to explore the unknown peacefully and in health.

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Source: The Conversation. Authorship:

Esmeralda Santacruz Salas
PDI Faculty of Nursing. UCLM, University of Castilla-La Mancha

Featured Image: Source Pexels.com, Photo by Laurissa Booyse