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Sunday, February 2, 2014

Skin to Skin: even after cesarean sections

Skin to Skin contact for newborns is so important for healthy bonding, infant heart rate respiration and temperature regulation, breastfeeding and just good ol' fashion feel good vibes.  It is amazing to see hospitals and doctors finally waking up to this basic fact of birth.  Babies and mothers NEED each other.

"Kangaroo Care" is saving babies lives in third world countries AND at home in modern hospitals. I read an article a long while ago that said that gestation is 18 months long: the first 9 months are internally, the second 9 months is externally.  Skin to skin contact during the last 9 months is just as important as the "skin to skin" contact internally for the first 9 months.


http://touchbroward.org/cape-coral-hospital-triplets-skin-to-skin/


In May 2013, Cape Coral Hospital was the first hospital in the U.S. to provide a Gentle Cesarean with immediate “skin to skin” contact following a birth of triplets.  Three healthy babies were born and were immediately placed skin-to-skin with their mother and allowed to bond and feed while the surgery was being completed.  Due to this intervention the mother not only exclusively breastfed in the hospital but continued to breast-feed the triplets once they returned home.
skin to skin tripletsCape Coral Hospital has been working very hard on the Florida Quest for Quality Maternity Care Award and has earned Three Stars.  With this process, the hospital has focused heavily on improving birth processes and enabling “skin to skin” contact after every birth, including cesarean births.  They call their new cesarean birth process the “Gentle Cesarean.”
“Skin to skin” refers to the practice of placing the baby and mother together, skin to skin (with the baby naked, not wrapped in a blanket) immediately after birth, as well as afterwards. The practice of skin to skin contact for newborns and their mothers has been studied extensively and documented to have many benefits. According to the International Breastfeeding Centre, these benefits include:
  • The baby is happier
  • Baby’s temperature is more stable and more normal
  • Baby’s breathing rates are more stable and more normal
  • If placed skin to skin immediately after birth, it allows the baby to be colonized by the same bacteria as the mother improving the baby’s immune system.
  • It also increases breastfeeding success, another extremely important practice for the baby’s health!
The Foundation For A Breastfeeding Culture (a TOUCH Partner) has been working closely with this hospital through the Florida Quest For Quality Maternity Care.  The Foundation For Breastfeeding Culture has worked directly with the staff to help support them to move through the process of Baby Friendly’s Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding.
Congratulations to this beautiful family for their three healthy babies! We’re also very excited to see hospitals and medical staff that are so committed to providing the best care for newborns, mothers and families.