Post delivery skin to skin contact, anyone tried this specifically?

[LDNmummy]

I have read a bit about the positives of naked skin to skin contact straight after baby is out. Apparently it is very good between mother and baby and helps bonding with father and baby if done for a significant amount of time (maybe an hour in total?).

I would really like to try this and wanted to know if others have and if they think it made any difference. I don't know if the hospital would even allow this as I don't know what exactly they need to do straight after baby is out such as cleaning and check ups.

I would also like to try it so my DH can bond with our LO straight away as apparently the baby can get used to his smell and be comforted by his heart beat etc...

[Pagwatch]

Oh yes , with all three.
They threw them on to me all yeuky and squirmy

Then they threw a blanket over us and we sat there cooing a lot.

Ds1 fed from me within about two minutes of being born. I have often wondered if that contributed (along with good luck) to my never having had any problems with feeding ever. I didn't have time to think about it. It just happened.

[Flisspaps]

As long as baby is healthy (and you are OK) there is nothing they 'need' to do - cleaning up can be something you specifically request they don't do, and weighing can wait, so you can have your lovely baby on you as long as you want.

[LDNmummy]

Thats funny and sweet Pagwatch, I often wonder what it feels like when they are all covered in gunk.

Well thats one of the things I read, that it is very beneficial for helping with feeding and making it easier.

[Pagwatch]

true fiss
Sometimes it takes a while to realise that it is your baby.

[Flisspaps]

I will add that I didn't get much skin to skin with DD as I was whisked off into theatre to be embroidered so DH had hold of her, and he was in scrubs, she was wrapped in a blanket. It has made no difference to our bonding with her though :)

[PrincessScrumpy]

My hospital encourages this. For some reason dh wouldn't do skin to skin until we were home (he's pale and skinny and didn't want people (the mw) to see him without his top on. Seriouly baffled by this as mw had had full view of my lady parts for a fair while so I don't think his pale chest would shock her!

This time we're having twins and I've asked if he will have skin to skin if I can't for any reason. I'm having a cs so may (hopefully not) need a general anaesthetic so really want dh to do it, or might want me to hold one and him the other. He's thinking about it but is more keen this time.

They let me cuddle dd for ages and I called family like that to tell them she'd been born, then dh helped mw dress dd1 while they stitched me up and dh had his first proper cuddle. Then I had a bath and the mw gave dh a chair in the bathroom to sit on and hold dd so I wasn't parted (completely her suggestion). Really lovely and very special.

[PrincessScrumpy]

btw it's lovely but I don't think I would have had problems bonding without it!

[sheeplikessleep]

Got loads of skin to skin with DS2, to the point where a couple of hours after the birth, I actually ventured into the hallway to ask if we could get him weighed, so we could go through to the postnatal ward!

Think they were very busy, but it was lovely just to be left without any intervention.

BFing was easy as anything with him, no problems. In contrast to DS1 (epidural and ventouse, lots of intervention and had a student midwife, so they took ages with all of the weighs/checks etc), where feeding took months to get right. Not sure if it is to do with skin to skin though, deliveries were both totally different.

Congrats to you and wishing you a straightforward and quick delivery!

[Gooseberrybushes]

It's lovely, I did it with last - tbh it feels a bit embarrassing to ask to do it, I don't know why. But it's beautiful man. Skin to skin and a feed. Am coming over all teary just thinking about it.

[FetchezLaVache]

Yes, we both did- in fact, DH did a lot more than I did, and I always think this helped him to establish a really strong bond with DS. I'm really glad he did this as I had BFing as a way of bonding.

[BoffinMum]

Delivered our own (with mw there) so did all this stuff. Very nice.

[rollonby]

It was on our birth plan for dd2, even though she was ill at birth and needed to be whisked straight down to special care we had skin to skin for about 30 seconds. It was still amazing and a lovely end to labour.

She also bf well whereas I didn't manage with dd1.

[LoveBeingAbleToNamechange]

Pag with me it was more like it is a baby

I agree about skin to skin plus she was whipped away after I got her to latch to be weighted etc and that is why I think it took me another 20 hrs till she would latch on again.

[thisisyesterday]

generally midwives are very happy to "allow" skin to skin as soon as baby is born, and IME actively promote it

with ds1 I had requested he was cleaned first, but with the next 2 who were both born at home they were delivered straight onto me.
helps with breastfeeding too! so you might want to keep a hold of baby until s/he has had first feed before handing him/her over to dad for some skin to skin too

[LDNmummy]

Thanks for the responses, glad I can ask for LO not to be taken away for a while or cleaned (even though the latter might sound wierd).

I don't think my DH will have any problems being shirtless, he is a bit of an extrovert (understatement of the year) and he has never needed much of an excuse to get his kit off bless him, and I don't even mean it in that way

You guys have convinced me now, it sounds absolutely amazing.

The thing was, I spoke to a friend about doing it who is also expecting and due just a month before me. She and her DH thought it was really wierd, and acted like I was being one of those people who talks about being all at one with nature and karmic energy all day long IYSWIM.

Thats the first thing settled for my birthing plane then, yaay!

[LDNmummy]

plan, not plane. Can only imagine what a birthing plane would be like.

[vintageteacups]

[Becaroooo]

did it with both of mine...its lovely

[Greenwing]

Definitely agree - my DS1 and DS2 were taken away for 'checks' - only a couple of yards away but even so. When I got to cuddle them they were wrapped in blankets saying 'Property of _ Hospital!'

With DS3 he was put straight onto me and I held him skin to skin - it made a huge difference to how I felt. It was really wonderful.
Good luck with your labour when it comes.

[Flisspaps]

If all is well you can TELL (not ask) them you don't want LO to be taken away for cleaning/weighing, regardless if it is hospital policy - like Pag says earlier - it IS your baby!

To be honest, I thought it was the norm, and that not having skin to skin would be a bit odd, I mean - that little person has just lived inside your body for months, to have it snuggled up to you on the outside seems perfectly sensible!

[peanutdream]

had emcs and did this for 90minutes after they had checked he was ok and i was in recovery ward. ds fed beautifully - did the whole birth crawl thing. didn't need any help with feeding except with a cracked nipple possible caused by tongue tie/lazy sleepy latching on my part. but from his point of view he always seemed to be an expert and i put this down to that first 90mins.

[FlubbaBubba]

Yes, definitely do it - I did with all three (even with 2nd DC being delivered by CS) and all three crawled up me (seal-like fashion) snuggled in with me all gunky and gorgeous, and rooted around to find my boob and then we just gazed at each other in complete and utter love. Oooh, want another so I can experience it all again!! :) :)

[BertieBotts]

Put it in your birth plan :) Keep birth plan simple - I forgot mine and midwife just asked me 3 things: Did I want a natural or managed 3rd stage, did I want vitamin K at birth for the baby, and did I want skin to skin straight away or for baby to be cleaned up first. Everything else you can negotiate/discuss as it happens, those 3 you'll likely be too spaced out to say anything!

[peanutdream]

meant to add - it was in big colourful letters on my birth plan and all i could say as they were stitching me up was 'skin to skin, skin to skin'. having had (in the end) such a medicalised birth (although laboured for days at home and only had gas and air until cs) i was totally anxious that skin to skin would happen. the mw was only too happy to oblige and there was a little cheer when he latched on himself .

[peanutdream]

ds was cleaned up incidentally - he was in a nappy when we did it... so even if it doesn't ALL go to plan, skin to skin is still a definite yay