The Benefit Of Skin To Skin Contact
Between Baby And Dad
You must have heard about the skin to
skin contact between the mother and the baby. They have some benefits. So what
about the skin to skin contact between the baby and the dad? Are there any
benefits?
Yes, there are. They are mentioned
below:
Helps in
brain development
When it comes to skin to skin
contact, it is a different experience for both of them. Acceleration of brain
maturation takes place with the development of neural pathways, when a baby is
held with skin to skin contact with the dad. Studies show that the child who
are kangaroo’ed spends more time sleeping quietly. This decreases the stress in
baby and helps in brain development. If you are looking to keep your kids busy
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Reduces
stress and calms down
When a baby is held to his dad in the
kangaroo’ed manner, the amount of cortisol, which creates stress, gets lowered
within 20 minutes. If the baby is in pain, then it will get reduced too. So
such babies cry very less and get less nervous and irritated.
Let sleep
better
The development of the brain depends on
the quality of sleep that infants have. When they have skin to skin contact, they
sleep well for 1 hour or more.
Improves
immunity
When a baby comes in skin to skin
contact with the dad, its immune system is stimulated. The immune system of dad
has antibodies, which are passed to the child through skin to skin contact.
Moreover, the skin of the baby gets hydrated and thus it protects baby from
harmful bacteria.
Helps in
digestion and weight gain
Skin to skin contact with the dad
helps to improve the digestion process in babies. The body temperature of the
baby rises during skin to skin contact and so for the same reason, baby’s body
doesn’t burn fat to keep itself warm. This results in weight gain. There is a
reduction of somatostatin and cortisol in babies due to skin to skin contact
and so the brown fat of the babies remain preserved. You can also get some baby health products at discounted rate from
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Helps to
synchronize breathing and heartbeat
By coming in contact with the skin of
dad, the heartbeat and breathing patterns are set in babies. It has been noted
that slow heart rate and sporadic breathing is reduced, when a baby comes in
skin to skin contact with the dad.
Skin to skin contact is beneficial
for the babies, but apart from that, they are also beneficial to the dad. Such
as:
Effects
psychological health
When a dad holds a baby skin to skin,
then the level of oxytocin hormone increases in the body. With the increase in
oxytocin, testosterone decreases. This relaxes the dad and helps him to
increase an affectionate behavior towards the baby. Once the dad understands
the needs of the baby, he will be able to get in tune with the baby. Once the
dad interacts with the baby, he is bound to have a strong bond for a long term.
There are two major differences
between spending skin contact with the baby, by mom and dad.
Helps in
milk production
Those moms who experience difficulty
in milk production have been able to see the difference by practicing skin to
skin with the baby for 1 hour per session at least twice a day. Now this is
something that will be seen in moms only.
Body
temperature regulation
When a mom holds the baby skin to
skin, her breasts automatically regulate the temperature of the baby according
to the need. The breast tissues of mom have the capacity to cool down or warm
up the body of the baby. On the contrary, the dad’s body can only warm up the baby,
which may even cause overheating. So it is recommended for the dad to hold the
baby skin to skin only for 60 minutes.
So now, let’s see how a baby should
be positioned for a skin to skin contact with dad
·
Dad should be in a semi-reclined position with his shirt off
and baby should only be wearing a diaper.
· Make sure that the baby is
properly positioned. His head should be turned on one side and his neck should
be straight.
*Guest Post
