Doctor Explains Why Skin-To-Skin Is The Secret To Breastfeeding Success

Aside from its physiological advantage, skin-to-skin contact offers emotional reassurance that solidifies the mother–infant bond. It reduces stress in the mother, increases oxytocin levels and stimulates milk supply, making breastfeeding easier and more enjoyable. As per the scientific term, skin-to-skin is the “golden hour” practice that can determine how effectively breastfeeding begins and continues. In conversation with The Daily Jagran, Dr Kavita Singh(PT), Latation consultant and physiotherapist, Cloudnine Group of Hospitals, New Delhi, Patparganj, explains why this intimate skin-to-skin first touch is not just comforting but truly the secret to breastfeeding success.

What Is The Golden Hour?

The golden hour is the first hour after birth, that first hour where the baby is transitioning to this new world. It is an important time period for both mother and baby. For a baby, it is an important transition from inside the womb to outside in the world. 

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For the mother, this is an important time frame to observe for uterine contractions and for vaginal bleeding. Dr Kavita Singh states, “Both you and the baby are transitioning from 'WOMB to new WORLD, ' you from being pregnant to now being postpartum and the baby from being inside the womb to being outside in the world.” One of the steps of the golden hour is using it to do skin-to-skin.

What Is Skin-To-Skin?

So this is when we take the newborn baby and place the baby directly against the mother's skin. So with no wraps, no blankets, no towels, no shirts, nothing in between the baby and the mother. Dr Kavita Singh describes, “You can also take a gown, wear it during labour, and place the baby underneath the gown directly up against the skin and then put blankets over the baby to keep the baby warm.” Let the baby rest there at least for 1 hour. If you are comfortable, you can increase the time duration.

Make sure the baby is resting on your skin, chest to chest, tummy to tummy, for that first hour. There are some important benefits of skin-to-skin in that golden hour right after birth. There is much research that shows lots of documented benefits. 

Dr Kavita Singh mentions, “For a baby, it assists the baby in regulating its temperature. It helps the baby regulate his or her blood sugars. It also helps regulate the baby's heart rate.” She adds, “It makes the baby calm down, quiet, and comfortable. It's just because he or she can hear your heartbeat, a mother's smell, and warmth.”

Why Skin-To-Skin Touch Important For Mothers And Infants (Image Credits: Canva)

There are some maternal benefits as well, like improved bonding. When you put the baby on your chest, there is a surge of oxytocin. Dr Kavita Singh states, “Oxytocin is a hormone that helps in breastfeeding and uterine contractions.” It is a feel-good hormone that improves mood. It also helps the breast to let down milk or to release milk from the breast tissue. It helps the uterus to contract.

During skin-to-skin, it is the mother's skin that is going to seed the baby's intestinal tract and boost immunity. So this is called seeding of the baby's gut and it will boost immunity.

Now when the baby suckles at the breast and is left at the breast uninterrupted to find the mother's breast to crawl up to the breast and self-attach, this entire process is called the breast crawl. Dr Kavita Singh says, “This is the natural reflex that is unfolding in the most natural way. It is how nature intended for the baby to find the breast and to self-attach.”

When this process starts, it sets the stage for breastfeeding success later. The mother's breast calibrates and understands exactly how much milk to make for the baby for the next six months to the next 2 years. It's going to ramp up milk production; it really gives the baby the message that you know the breast is a place for security, comfort, and nourishment.

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So it's very important to protect the golden hour, ensure that the newborn is placed on the mother's breast immediately after birth, skin to skin. The baby is left uninterrupted on the mother's breast in the first hour after birth, with all newborn procedures completed at the breast and the baby is left there to find the breast on its own. This gives a lot of encouragement to the mother to help the baby find the breast so that you know breastfeeding is established in the most natural way as possible in the first hour of birth.

What About Cesarean Sections?

Can I do skin-to-skin with cesarean sections? And the answer is a little longer than just yes. Technically yes, you can. Dr Kavita Singh mentions, “You have to have a hospital that is willing to do that, which means they have to have enough staff.” Someone has to stay with the baby once the baby's delivered and assessed and brought over to Mommy. Now you know why it's so important and how you can advocate for yourself for it.