Transcript

Title: Skin-to-skin contact

Narrator: How to do skin-to-skin contact immediately after birth? Dry the baby's body; then put him on the mother's chest; place a blanket over the baby to keep him warm. In general, without the influence of pain medication, a baby who lies on his mother's chest will smell her breast, look at her, and crawl up to the breast. The baby would be able to find the breast and start suckling the colostrum within 10 to 60 minutes.

Having early skin-to-skin contact not only helps your baby to get colostrum but also gives him warmth and emotional security, and helps to stabilise his heartbeat and breathing. It also facilitates close bonding between you and your baby. As long as the mother and baby are stable skin-to-skin contact can be started right after delivery. Other than babies born by natural births, it can be done in preemies, twins or babies delivered by Caesarean section. Whether breastfed or formula fed babies can have skin-to-skin contact.

If the mother is not available, the father can do it with the baby. You can have skin-to-skin contact with your baby whenever you want after you are back at home.