Skin to skin -how long?

[pinkie1982]

I'm sat here with my preemie under my top wondering how long I should be doing skin to skin contact per time?
He was born at 34+1 a week ago and he was in NICU for 5 days. I now have him with me in the transitional ward in an incubator . He is struggling to maintain his temp but only a degree under

Congratulations on the birth of your son. If my 25 weeker was anything to go by, as long as your both happy and comfortable to and as long as his temperature and stats remain stable. Hope you get out of hospital soon

Thank you. He's sats were fine, he didn't need any oxygen or help with breathing at all, luckily. He is no longer on a monitor of any kind.
He is so comfy in there, he doesn't move at all when sleeping and is sound. When he is in his incubator his arms and legs are constantly flailing.

Skin to skin is lovely I used to sit for hours with dd and really helped with the separation during her 3 weeks in neonatal. I do wonder now though as she is very unsettled unless she is being held so think she got too used to it lol. But to answer your question I would say as long as you are both comfortable and enjoying it.

Funny you should write that Syd, DD2 is three now and still insists on holding my finger for comfort! It's what we used to do when she was too poorly to come out of the incubator.

Aww Spotted that's kinda cute : )

We were always told that the process of decanting them from their incubators was so stressful not to do it unless you have 1-2 hours free to justify it. I still treasure those memories, and given the benefits are so great I wouldn't be in a rush to wind it up. Premmie are likely to be insecure not because of a few hourly sessions of skin to skin but because of the weeks and months they missed out being where they should be. Skin to skin goes a v small way to making that up. If you don't like it, ask your dp to do it.

He is now in a heated cot :)
He loves getting inside my top. He sits there for two hours at a time sound asleep