Wednesday, November 11, 2009

Importance of Skin to Skin Contact in the minutes, hours,and weeks following birth

At work we had an inservice on the importance and benefits of STSC (skin-to-skin contact). So, I wanted to post some of the information to share with everyone. I knew it was beneficial for infants, but didn't know it was for mothers.

Benefits of STSC for infants:
-greater temperature stability
-blood glucose stability
-greater heart rate and respiratory rate stability
-decreased crying and anxiety
-accelerates weight gain
-better organized and restful sleep
Benefits of STSC for mothers:
-less anxiety at 3 days post birth
-greater confidence of childcare abilities at hospital discharge
-greater sense of well-being
-decreased pain sensation int he mom, as endogenous opioid are released as a result of the pleasing touch

It is important for mothers to continue this even after they get home for several weeks. So, make sure to tell your nurse this is very important to you after delivery, even if you have a C-section.

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