In the womb, the baby is constantly accompanied by the beating of the mother's heart. In addition, the food is constantly secured and is protected from sudden changes in light, temperature or loud noises. Birth is an extremely delicate moment in a person's life. In a few minutes, the baby must adapt to radical changes, moving from the comfort and protection of the uterus to an environment that is hostile and unfamiliar.
To make matters worse, we are born extremely immature, unable to feed or fend for ourselves. That is why everyone human babies need a period of adaptation to external life, during which, they need to feel the warmth, protection and comfort that they had when they were in Mom's tummy. And how is this achieved?. Well, it is very simple, practicing Kangaroo mother method or skin-to-skin contact.
Skin to skin in premature babies, when love becomes medicine
If skin-to-skin contact is essential for a full-term newborn, imagine how necessary it becomes for a premature baby. These babies have not completed their intrauterine development, and they are much more sensitive to the changes brought about by birth. For them, adaptation to the extrauterine environment is much more complicated. In addition, they are babies who are or have been hospitalized, separated from their family and subjected to numerous medical tests. All of this carries high levels of stress. Therefore They need high doses of love, physical contact, and pleasant experiences.
What are the benefits of skin-to-skin contact in premature babies?
- Favors the affective bond between the baby and his parents. Premature babies often spend many hours alone in incubators, so practicing skin-to-skin contact is essential to establish that bond.
- It facilitates the establishment of breastfeeding. Skin-to-skin contact favors the rise of milk thanks to the stimulus of having the baby close. In this way, the suction of the baby or the extraction by the mother is facilitated.
- It reduces stress of the baby and parents. It also reduces the crying time of the baby and the levels of postpartum depression.
- Parents learn to know the baby's rhythms and signals feeling more secure and protagonists in the care of your little one. The baby feels more secure and protected.
- It helps to regulate body temperature, heart and breathing rate.
- It favors more deep sleep time of the baby by providing more quiet and rest time for the baby and the parents.
- Favors the central nervous system development and sensory stimulation through caresses.
- The breathing rhythms of the baby and the mother are synchronized decreasing the periods of apnea.
- Decreases motor and muscular activity, thus saving energy and promotes weight gain.
- It reduces the risk of infections that can be acquired in the hospital. In addition, skin-to-skin contact in combination with breastfeeding favors the development of the immune system.
There is increasing evidence that the natural habitat of the newborn is the mother's body. For this reason, today, the kangaroo mother method is considered one of the great advances in the care of these babies. For a premature baby, skin-to-skin contact is love, protection and medicine.