It is commonplace that newborn babies be placed on their mother’s chest almost immediately after birth. This is an age-old ritual known as skin-to-skin contact. During skin-to-skin contact, a baby is said to build a bond with their mother. It is scientifically proven that it helps regulate the newborn’s body temperature, which is critical to their health.
Unfortunately, this contact is not initiated in all cases of birth. In difficult delivery situations such as premature births, the baby is often immediately placed in a NICU incubator. It is unfortunate that any baby should have to miss out on such a natural practice.
In Sweden and Denmark, skin-to-skin contact is regarded as extremely important to provide directly after birth, even if the babies are born prematurely. It is a practice that is slowly being adopted worldwide.
A photo was recently released out of Sweden showing a father and young son caring for new twins. Although the twins were premature, their father and big brother were allowed to engage in skin-to-skin contact. Since the photos viral release, it has struck up a healthy conversation about the importance of skin-to-skin contact for newborns. The photo was originally attached to a Facebook post by NINO Birth, providing scientific evidence of its benefits.
