Breastfeeding: the importance of early contact
Although there are still many mothers who are separated from their baby after birth, especially when a cesarean has been performed, more and more doctors choose not to separate their mother's baby, especially after the birth. childbirth to facilitate the establishment of breastfeeding.
The many advantages of early contact with the baby after delivery
Except for extraordinary circumstances, it is best for the mother and the baby to stay together after giving birth. After childbirth, mother-child contact is beneficial in all respects:
- accelerates the recovery of both
- facilitates the initiation of breastfeeding
- reinforces mother-child attachment
Mother and son recover faster
When the baby is placed on the breast of the mother after birth, the production of stress hormones in the newborn is inhibited and also the levels of these hormones in the mother are lowered. This makes both enter a state of relaxation much earlier, favoring recovery.
In addition, direct contact with the mother's skin makes it easier to regulate the child's temperature, since the mother's body is a natural thermostat for the child.
Another of the physical benefits for the baby of immediate contact after delivery with his mother, is that his heart and respiratory rhythm are regularized before, thus reducing the probability of having episodes of apnea and other breathing difficulties.
Breastfeeding begins naturally
Another of the great benefits of skin-to-skin contact after delivery is that the newborn's instinct is used to start breastfeeding in a more natural and easy way.
The baby at birth has a very developed sense of smell and is able to distinguish the smell of his mother and also that of colostrum. Instinctively, if the child is placed in his mother's lap, he will seek to grab the nipple to feed himself.
Children who begin to breastfeed in this way have less trouble properly attaching to the nipple and stimulation of the breast causes the mother to start producing milk earlier, thus favoring the baby to benefit from breastfeeding from the moment of birth.
The affective mother-child bond is reinforced
Labor causes mothers to generate hormones such as endorphins and oxytocin, which are at their maximum levels after delivery.
If skin-to-skin contact is made after childbirth, the mother's high level of oxytocin is used to the maximum, which, in addition to accelerating the contraction of the uterus so that it returns to its normal size, favors the mother-child bond.
Along with oxytocin, endorphins create a feeling of euphoria and happiness once the baby is born. The early separation of the mother and the baby can cause in some cases the Maternal Extinction Syndrome due to endogenous oxytocin deficiency, a situation that is more frequent in scheduled caesarean sections.
Natural delivery and skin contact with immediate skin
This is without a doubt the ideal situation for mothers who are about to give birth. During the natural and non-invasive delivery, a series of hormonal changes are produced that prepare the mother to receive her little one as soon as they leave the world.
The skin-to-skin contact is the next step to create a perfect environment for mother and child to begin to establish lifelong emotional ties. When the birth occurs in different circumstances or there is a cesarean section, it is advisable that the separation of the mother and the baby is favored whenever possible.
Early contact between mother and child is even more important in these circumstances, because it can help avoid difficulties of recovery after surgery and also facilitates the rise of milk, which usually takes longer when a cesarean section occurs.
María José Madarnás. Easy Maternity
