Skin-to-skin contact with your baby

Benefits

• Your baby is very alert and actively seeks contact, which supports a better start to breastfeeding.
• Touch, smell, and taste are fully stimulated.
• You immediately begin to form a strong bond with your baby.
• Your baby’s temperature, heart rate, and breathing are better regulated.
• Thanks to skin-to-skin contact, your baby is less sensitive to stress, allowing for healthy emotional and motor development.
• Colic pains are reduced.
• Babies who receive regular physical contact cry up to 45% less.
• Your baby sleeps much better.

Cuddle hour after birth

During the “cuddle hour”, you and your partner spend time alone with your baby. The midwife is nearby, but you are given the peace and quiet to truly enjoy the moment.

On the maternity ward

In the following days on the maternity ward, this skin-to-skin contact is regularly encouraged, either by you or by your partner.

Tips for good and safe skin-to-skin contact

Being born requires a lot of adjustment for your baby. Sometimes this transition is not as smooth, and occasionally a complication can arise that may be life-threatening. That’s why it’s important to follow these tips during skin-to-skin contact:

• Ensure that your baby’s mouth and nose are always clear and uncovered, so that their breathing is never compromised.
• It’s best for the baby to lie on their side, with the head well turned to the side.
• Make sure that you and your partner can closely observe the baby during skin-to-skin contact.
• Avoid distractions such as mobile phones, smartphones, television, etc.
• If the baby falls asleep or moves very little during the first skin-to-skin contact after birth, notify the midwife immediately.
• If you feel sleepy or less alert, give your baby to your alert partner or place the baby safely on their back in their own cot.
• Do not sleep with the baby in your own bed; a bedside cot (co-sleeper) can be a safer alternative.