Skin to skin
Welcoming a new baby into your world is possibly one of life’s greatest joys, and you’ll want to do the best for your new arrival. One part of this is getting skin to skin contact with your baby when it’s born. Doing this has many benefits – not just for your baby, but also for you and dads too. That’s because your skin is powerful, so you’ll want to keep it as healthy as possible for when your little one is born. Carry on reading to discover the benefits of skin to skin contact.
What is skin to skin contact?
Skin to skin contact is when your baby will lie directly on your bare chest just after it’s born. Both you and your baby will be covered with a warm blanket and left to enjoy the benefits of this positive touch for at least an hour or until your baby has had its first feed. Baby skin on skin contact is also known as kangaroo care and can be done by either parent any time your baby needs to be soothed.
What are the benefits of skin to skin?
There are many skin to skin benefits when your baby is born. The first one is to help you and your newborn bond with each other. It also helps to support your baby’s physical and developmental outcomes. Skin to skin contact is as important for new dads as it is for mums, because it helps them to create a bond which has a calming effect on both. It also gives you a chance to rest while your baby is being looked after by this kind of powerful human touch.
Some of the other benefits of skin to skin are:
- Calming and relaxing you and your baby after you’ve given birth
- Regulating your baby’s heart rate and breathing
- Helping your baby to become interested in feeding and stimulates digestion
- Regulating your baby’s temperature
- Stimulating the release of hormones that help with breastfeeding
Why is skin to skin contact important?
Skin to skin contact has an all-round powerful effect for both you and your little one. It helps your baby more than you might realise. Even their skin. Your newborn gets its first microbiome only when it’s born. The microbiome is the collection of bacteria and other microorganisms that live on your skin and help to keep it, and you, healthy.
One of the skin to skin benefits is that you’ll pass on your own good bacteria to your baby, which can help to provide protection against infection. Because you want to do the best for the baby, it’s important to have healthy skin so they can get the maximum benefit from this skin to skin contact. You can help keep your skin performing at its healthy best by using products designed to look after your microbiome, like our range of BiomeProtect shower gels and body washes that nourish the good bacteria on your skin, while targeting the bad.
The benefits of skin-to-skin contact between dad and baby
You’ve waited 9 long months and your little one has finally arrived. During the first few hours of their lives, it’s recommended that you get skin-to-skin contact with your new baby. And because your skin is powerful, there are many benefits of skin-to-skin, even for baby and dad. This is why you’ll want to keep you skin performing at its healthy best.
How long should dads do skin-to-skin?
There is no exact time that baby and dad should have skin-to-skin contact after birth. However, your nurse, midwife or doctor will be able to guide you on this as it will depend on your specific circumstances. It has, however, been shown that even 15 minutes of skin-on-skin contact with dad can be beneficial. Unicef says that skin-to-skin contact with mum should last for at least an hour or until after your little one’s first feed.
Skin-on-skin contact doesn’t just start and stop when your baby is born. It can continue for the first few months and even first years of your baby’s life. Here are just a few great ways to maximise baby and dad skin-to-skin contact.
- Bath time is the perfect opportunity for skin-to-skin
- Burping your baby after he or she has fed
- Soothing baby when they’re upset
What happens when both mum and dad have skin-to-skin contact with a baby or newborn?
Your skin is powerful, which is why there are so many benefits of skin to skin. The first is to help mum, baby and dad bond with each other. It’s as important for mum and her little one as it is for baby and dad to help calm them both. It also helps to give new mums the chance to rest while baby is being calmed and soothed by the skin-to-skin contact.
Some of the other benefits of skin-to-skin include:
- Passing on your own good skin bacteria to baby
- Calming and relaxing both baby and dad after the birth
- Regulating baby’s heart rate and breathing
- Create an interest in feeding for baby
- Regulating baby’s temperature
- Stimulating the release of hormones that support breastfeeding
What products can help keep your skin healthy for skin to skin contact?
At Sanex, we believe that your skin should always perform at its healthy best, especially when you’re doing skin to skin contact with your baby. To do this, we’ve created a range of shower gels called BiomeProtect, which have a proprietary prebiotic and postbiotic complex to nourish the good bacteria on your skin and target the bad. Here are a few products in our range that you could try to look after your skin before your baby is born.
Sanex Zero% Hypoallergenic Baby bath foam and shampoo
The kids head to toe shower gel is a gentle, fragrance-free, and tear-free body wash designed for children’s delicate skin. This product is suitable for babies aged 6 months and older, it’s free from colourants, sulphates, and soap, minimising the risk of allergic reactions. Paediatrician approved and dermatologically tested, it maintains the skin's natural pH for safe and gentle cleansing.
Sanex Zero% Hypoallergenic Nourishing Baby Bath Foam
The Hypoallergenic Nourishing Baby Bath Foam & Shampoo is a gentle, tear-free bubble bath and shampoo that creates a fun, foamy bath experience for babies. With 0% colourants, sulphates and soap, it minimises allergic reactions while being safe for babies aged 6 months and above. Paediatrician approved and dermatologically tested, it has a light and gentle fragrance leaving your baby’s skin soft, hydrated and pH balanced.
