skin-to-skin post birth

[fretfree]

Hi everyone,

In our ante-natal class last night I asked a question about skin-to-skin contact after the birth, having seen it recommended a lot on hear - in particular the idea of what happens if you have to have a C-Section and whether hospitals around here encourage skin-to-skin with the Father if not possible with the Mother straight away.

The mid-wife replied that skin-to-skin with anyone else apart from the Mother would actually be confusing/frightening for the baby, as he would not be used to the smell, heartbeat noise, etc of anyone else. I can really see the logic in this (especially if you delve back into pre-historic times or the modern day animal world when the new baby would be clinging to Mum's fur like crazy, and there was a chance that any adult male could be eyeing up a snack......).

However, I have not seen it mentioned anywhere else - has anyone come across this idea?

Thanks :)

Hmm - don't know enough to about it - but I find it hard to imagine how the baby knows what you smell like yet!!!
It is currently floating around in amnio fluid and that smells nothing like you on the outside!
I think skin, is skin, and it is comforting whose-ever it is but I have no science to back that idea up.
And your heartbeat will sound different on the outside than on the inside and the heart rate changes depending what you are doing so it would have to be a real Inspector Detector to know it wasn't you .
I don't think babies have that kind of mental cognition and seriously doubt it would be confused or frightened. Surely Dad skin to skin is better than nothing if mum is indisposed for some reason!

I don't know about EMCS, but in planned CS skin-to skin is certainly possible. Unless of course, there is a reason baby needs to whisked off to NICU but hopefully that won't be the case:)

I've often heard of dads having skin to skin with their babies, don't know if everyone would consider it.

I personally didn't have skin to skin at all. I preferred to have the baby checked over and weighed and then bundled up and handed to me. But Christ, did I get judgement for that.

I had a third degree tear which needed stitching in surgery following the birth of my son so my initial skin to skin was limited to about 30 seconds before I was whisked away. I was away for about an hour and found it enormously reassuring to think that my brand new little boy was snuggled up to his Dad's nice warm chest and being cuddled and comforted by the other person in this world who cares for him & loves him as much as I do. As soon as I was wheeled into recovery, my son was brought back to me and he continued skin to skin with me, latched himself straight on and had a good feed. He then fell asleep for quite a while. He certainly did not seem upset or confused and my husband said he had seemed quite content while I'd been away, just a bit frustrated that Dad didn't have the necessary equipment to feed him. He's now 6 weeks old and does not seem to have had any issues bonding with me or my husband or with feeding.
Ideally I'd not have had to leave my baby so soon after his birth, but when I had to, skin to skin with Dad worked for him and us. Of course i can only comment on our experience, but it was a positive thing for us.

One of the things that has always made me smile about DS1's birth (a lovely, calm c-section) was that when he was taken and checked over by the midwife he was crying and as soon as DH held him he stopped. Then when he was weighed he started crying again and stopped as soon as he was handed back to DH.

No way that boy didn't know who his dad was.

Sounds like rubbish to me. I had skin to skin with DD and she had a feed etc and then I went for a bath. DH popped her straight in his t shirt where she immediately nestled down and snoozed.

Obviously it's not going to help with breastfeeding but I though skin to skin was as much about bonding and temperature regulation as BF so dad can definitely help.

So did everyone do skin to skin? No wonder I was looked at as some kind of evil baby hating person when I refused skin to skin and was actually quite OK with baby being cleaned, weighed and swaddled before being brought to me.

Is skin to skin some sort of compulsory thing they have at hospitals now or did all of you do it out of preference?

I had immediate skin-to-skin with our DD. And when I was being stitched, DP had beautiful skin-to-skin with her whilst she was having her temp check etc. It was the most amazing sight :) And they have the lovliest relationship already :)

Where I live it is pretty much compulsory afaik. Birth partners do it if mum is Still in theatre as theatre is too cold for baby. They say it is to stimulate milk production I think. Not sure what they would do if you refused to bf but have never met anyone in that situation here.

I had skin to skin with both our DDs. Midwives peered and poked minimally to see that they were all well, and as all was fine, we continued with that for some time just blissfully.

Certainly took my mind off stitching etc. and especially for DD2 where my gyne had to remove the placenta by hand (ouch!). It was totally the best thing for both of us.

At the info session at the maternity unit before DDs were born, we were told that dads would be encouraged to do skin to skin if mums couldn't.

QTPie your pics are amazing. I had an EMCS and DS was whisked off to be paed checked so no chance of immediate sts. But I hope to have it next time if I have an ELCS.

PeaceandHope I didn't even think about it, I just wanted my baby on me. I remember Baby Goo arrived in a hurry so I wasn't undressed and it was quite distressing trying to get my kit off so I could cuddle her.

I wasnt consulted after EmCS - he was wrapped up and placed on my chest really quickly though. However just as quickly I was in agony as they started removing a cyst and twisting my ovary and the anesthetic wore off so I was knocked out with a general. Came round to see DS have some quality skin time with his Dad so all was fine in the end.
I do question the itchiness of mens chests though!!

so did they take them off you when you were getting stitched? I still had both of them on me during that time (not in the UK though)

Feeling warm and fuzzy just thinking about those moments

I believe tgat skin to skin with mum is best however if not available then dad rather than none at all. I think none would be far scarier.

PeaceandHope - I think they do try to encourage it wherever possible now, to help the baby get over the birth and to get breastfeeding started.

I didn't have skin to skin (CS and was trying not to puke!). The midwife did take him round and touched his face to mine before weighing etc - not that I remember!

Milk production came fast and furious on day 3, so no problems there.

just out of interest peaceandhope why did you choose not to?

NOT judging here, just curious

I am imagining here, but if I think of how childbirth was presented to me growing up, I imagine a nice clean baby being handed to me, while I wear a nice white nightie. I don't think it is odd to want that, at all.

Wow - huge number of replies! Really interesting to hear what appears to be a consensus.

I currently have in my birth plan that I want immediate skin to skin (and natural third stage / cord not cut until it has stopped pulsating - so I guess the skin to skin would be whilst still attached???) but if not possible with me (e.g. C-sec scenario of some sorts) then with the Dad. It's really refreshing to hear again what I based all this on (i.e. things I had already read on line).

I can really see the sense of it being better to have touch than no-touch and I too was wondering how the recognising smell thing works - but it is all instinct at that age, so I guess I have no real knowledge of what is "going through a baby's mind" automatically!!

However, having had the info from a mid wife i am intrigued not to have heard it from anywhere else . I know that mid wives sometimes have differing views across the board, but rarely would you find singular views.

My DH had skin to skin with both our DDs. I was first to hold them both, but when I needed to be stitched, DH took them. The first mw suggested he continue the skin to skin, and he enjoyed it so much with DD1 that he did the same with DD2.

I would imagine that skin to skin with their father would be a lot better for a newborn than being wrapped and laid down in a cot, if the mum is unable to hold them for whatever reason.

Neither of us got skin to skin with dd1 for a long time but we both did with dd2. I had a lovely long cuddle and when I needed a shower dh continued. She was very happy.