Intermountain Utah Valley Hospital Experts Emphasis Importance of Mom/Baby Skin-to-Skin Contact

Intermountain Health experts at Utah Valley Hospital are pointing to recent medical research that has shown that the first hour after childbirth is especially important for bonding between mother and baby. For that reason, it’s called the “Golden Hour.”

“The best way for mom and baby to bond during the Golden Hour is the way nature intended – – through skin-to-skin contact – – which is the practice of placing a stable, newborn baby upright and chest down on the bare chest of their mother,” said Kelby Ellis, RN, Intermountain Health.

The benefits of skin-to-skin contact for mom and baby

1. Helps stabilize the baby’s temperature, breathing, and heart rate.
2. Helps babies stay calmer and cry less.
3. Stimulates baby’s brain development.
4. Improves milk production and chances for successful breastfeeding, for moms choosing to breastfeed.
5. May help reduce risks for postpartum complications and depression.

Studies show moms who practice skin-to-skin report: overwhelming feelings of love, improved self‐esteem, and a feeling of knowing and understanding their infant. The simple act of hospital staff handing over the newborn infant to the mother supports early parental confidence.

Dating back to 2015, caregivers from Intermountain Health’s women and newborn program in Utah worked to extend skin-to-skin practices for moms and babies delivered via Caesarean section. For moms and babies who are in stable condition following a Casearean delivery at Intermountain’s Utah hospitals, skin to skin can be practiced in operating rooms.

“Fathers can also practice skin to skin after birth to help promote bonding with their baby,” adds Ellis.

For more information visit intermountainhealth.org

About Intermountain Health

Headquartered in Utah with locations in six states and additional operations across the western U.S., Intermountain Health is a nonprofit system of 33 hospitals, 385 clinics, medical groups with some 4,600 employed physicians and advanced care providers, a health plans division called Select Health with more than one million members, and other health services. Helping people live the healthiest lives possible, Intermountain is committed to improving community health and is widely recognized as a leader in transforming healthcare by using evidence-based best practices to consistently deliver high-quality outcomes at sustainable costs. For more information or updates, see https://intermountainhealthcare.org/news.