Bonding with Baby
Skin-to-skin contact and rooming-in are key parts of bonding with your newborn.
“I just feel like [skin-to-skin contact] creates an attachment that is unmatched.”
Skin-to-Skin - It’s Worth It!
Skin-to-skin contact is a key part of bonding with your newborn. It’s healthy and supports successful breastfeeding, too.
Plan to have your baby skin-to-skin right after birth. Learn how to add this to your breastfeeding plan with our Skin-to-Skin Guide in English and Spanish.
Plan to have your baby skin-to-skin right after birth. Learn how to add this to your breastfeeding plan with our Skin-to-Skin Guide in English and Spanish.
What is Skin-to-Skin Contact (SSC)
Skin-to-skin contact is simply holding your baby dressed in a diaper against your chest, with your bare skin touching.
Benefits of Skin-to-Skin Contact
- Relaxes mother and baby
- Increases bonding
- Strengthens baby's immune system
- Eases pain
- May enhance brain development
- Warms baby
- Less crying
- Easier breastfeeding
- Better blood sugar levels
- Steady body temperatures
- Stable breathing & heart rate
Skin-to-Skin Contact & Breastfeeding
Practicing skin-to-skin contact will help you and your baby breastfeed. When placed skin-to-skin before breastfeeding:
- Baby’s first time latching onto the breast is easier.
- Baby is more likely to breastfeed better and longer without the need for formula.
- Helps breast milk flow.
“I know that breastfeeding boosts their immune system, enhances brain function, and lowers risks of certain diseases. I also know that breastfeeding reduces my experience of postpartum mood disorders and breast cancer.”
Getting Started – What to Expect in the Hospital
- Let hospital staff know you want to hold your baby skin-to-skin, as soon as you can.
- Just after delivery, your nurse will put your baby on your chest and cover you both with a warm blanket. Snuggle baby and allow them to explore. They may crawl towards your breast and try to latch.
- It is ideal to stay skin-to-skin for an hour after birth.
- Certain medical causes may delay skin-to-skin. That’s okay! Just start as soon as possible, or have your partner give it a try. Skin-to-skin contact helps them bond with baby, too!
Skin-to-Skin at Home
- Keep cuddling skin-to-skin after you leave the hospital.
- At home, try holding baby dressed in a diaper against your chest. You can put a blanket on baby’s back or try wearing an oversized shirt to use as a cover for both of you.
- Hold baby upright between your breasts and enjoy each other’s company.
- In the first few hours and days of life, the parent that is feeding should be the one to do skin-to-skin contact as it helps calm baby and helps the body to make milk.
- If baby begins to look for your breast, follow your instincts to help baby latch on.
- Don’t forget about your partner! Parents who hold babies skin-to-skin help keep them calm, cozy, and warm.
Learn More About Skin-to-Skin Contact
“I would unzip his onesie and…lay him on my chest. And I encouraged my husband to do it as well. I think it really helped calm him down.”
Rooming-In
At the hospital, rooming-in with your newborn will help you get off to a good start with bonding and breastfeeding. Plan to keep your baby in your room with you. Staying together will help you get to know your baby faster, they will cry less and you will get better quality sleep.
Learn more about bonding with baby in the hospital with our Rooming-in Guide in English and Spanish.
Learn more about bonding with baby in the hospital with our Rooming-in Guide in English and Spanish.
“Especially in the beginning, she slept in a bassinet right next to my bed and it's just easier to feed her in the middle of the night. I propped myself up to feed her, and put her right back down.”
WHAT IS ROOMING-IN?
Rooming-in is the hospital practice that allows parents and infants to be in the same room with each other 24 hours a day.
BENEFITS OF ROOMING-IN
- Learning about your baby quickly (how they communicate and what they need)
- Better quality sleep for mom and baby
- Baby will cry less
- More skin-to-skin contact
- Better weight gain for baby
- Getting breastfeeding/chestfeeding off to a great start
- Having a healthy amount of breast milk
- More health benefits for moms who can rest & recover, decreasing stress & postpartum depression
ROOMING-IN AT THE HOSPITAL
- After Delivery: You and your baby will be placed skin-to-skin. Things such as weighing, baths, and exams may be done inside the room after the first hour of skin-to-skin. Your baby will have a small crib in your room, which will allow them to stay with you day and night. Always place the baby on his or her back to sleep. Keep soft objects and loose bedding out of your baby’s sleep area and do not let your baby get too hot during sleep. If you need rest, you can give baby to an alert caregiver.
- Limit Visitors: This will allow you to give your full attention to your baby. Ask your visiting family and friends to be supportive of you and baby while rooming-in and breastfeeding/chestfeeding.
“Allowing me to room-in with my daughter made breastfeeding that much easier, more natural…”