Skin-to-Skin Bonding: Why Moms and Infants Need Skin-to-Skin Contact

For babies, the nine months of pregnancy may feel like one long, loving embrace. It’s not surprising, then, that studies support the benefits of skin-to-skin contact for mothers and babies from the moment of birth, throughout infancy and beyond.

Expectant mothers can enjoy these benefits by including immediate skin-to-skin contact with their babies as part of their birth plan.

“Even for babies born by cesarean section, skin-to-skin time right after delivery can be a wonderful, strong start for both mother and baby,” said obstetrician Susan Crowe, director of outpatient breastfeeding medicine services at Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford.

When the health of mom and baby allows, postponing the normal protocol of bathing, weighing and testing the baby can clear the way for shared skin-to-skin time.

“During this time, babies experience nine instinctive stages: birth cry, relaxation, awakening, activity, resting, ‘crawling’ (a shifting movement toward the breast), familiarization, suckling and sleep,” said Crowe, who’s also a clinical assistant professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the Stanford University School of Medicine. “For a mother who desires to breastfeed, supporting skin-to-skin time is one way we can help her reach that goal.”

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