Skin-to-Skin Care for Your Newborn
Fact Sheet for Patients and Families
At Ministry Saint Joseph’s Hospital Birth Center, we encourage you to have skin-to-skin contact with your new
baby right after birth and in the hours and days following. Just ask your nurse how to get started.
What are the benefits?
- Calms and sooths your baby
- Helps your baby maintain a healthy body temperature (better than a warmer)
- Helps regulate your baby’s heart rate, blood sugar and breathing
- Reduces pain. Your baby will cry less during necessary heel sticks and other tests
- Improves your baby’s sleep
- Helps you breastfeed and increases milk supply
- Decreases infection risk and increases immunities to antibodies you already have
How do I do it?
If you have just given birth, your doctor or nurse can bring the baby to you for skin-to-skin care, and will
comfortably position you and your baby. After that time, you and your support person can give skin-to-skin care
whenever you choose. Here are the simple steps:
- Remove your baby’s clothing and remove or open your shirt or gown (you may want to keep your baby’s diaper on).
- Place your baby on your bare chest, with your baby facing toward you.
- Cover your baby’s back with a blanket. Enjoy your bonding time together.
What is Family Centered Cesarean Birth?
A Family Centered Cesarean Birth is a birth experience with a cesarean section that provides a skin-to-skin
environment for the mom and baby after delivery. It works best for mothers who are scheduled for a cesarean to
deliver their full-term infant. It also work well when the mother has a cesarean section after labor in which the
baby’s heart rate is normal and it is not an emergency delivery.
Generally, a family centered cesarean birth is not recommended for preterm deliveries, emergency deliveries, when
there is concern for the baby’s condition after delivery or in the case where you are expecting more than one baby.
If you are scheduled for a cesarean section and are considering a family centered cesarean birth, please notify your
nurse when you are admitted to the Birth Center to assure some simple, necessary steps can be completed before
your delivery.
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When should I begin skin-to-skin care with my baby?
Some mothers want their babies placed skin-to-skin right away, so that they can begin the bonding process while
the baby is being dried and the umbilical cord is being clamped and cut. Other moms will begin skin-to-skin care
after their babies have been dried and weighed. This is personal preference and can be discussed with your nurse
taking care of you during your labor process.
Unless there are complications, your nurse will give you a chance to hold your baby skin-to-skin soon after birth.
Should I continue skin-to-skin care at home?
Yes, you can and should continue to hold your baby skin-to-skin at home. You and your baby can share skin-toskin’s benefits any time you would like.
Preterm/NICU babies
Preterm babies and babies that are taken to the NICU can also benefit from skin-to-skin care. Your baby’s doctor or
nurse can let you know when your baby is stable enough to be held skin-to-skin.
Father skin-to-skin care
Dads can do skin-to-skin too! Babies will continue to benefit while enjoying this special bonding time with their fathers.
12/2013