9 Newborn Stages

What’s the deal with skin-to-skin contact after delivery? Is it really that important?

Yes, it really is that important! Your baby was kept safe and warm inside your womb for nine months. Being close to you, especially while skin-to-skin (baby is placed on your bare chest in nothing but a diaper) is a baby's natural habitat after being born. Skin-to-skin is beneficial for any baby, whether breastfeeding or formula feeding.

Some benefits include:

• Regulates baby’s breathing and body temperature
• Keeps blood sugar levels steady for baby
• Decreases the stress of separation
• Promotes bonding 
• Decreases crying
• Reduces excess postpartum bleeding for mom
• Lowers mom and baby’s pain response

Skin-to-skin benefits breastfeeding:

• Gives access to the breasts to begin feeding
• Stimulates milk-producing and milk-releasing hormones (prolactin & oxytocin)

What happens after delivery can affect long-term success. Tell hospital staff that you want to put your baby skin-to-skin immediately after they are born for up to 2 hours or until the first breastfeeding takes place. For more information on communicating your preferences with hospital staff, click here. 

Newborn's 9 Instinctive Stages

After birth, babies go through 9 distinct stages when placed skin-to-skin. Being held this way activates their natural instinct to find the breast and latch. This process works best when there is no interruption. Routine procedures and assessments can take place while baby is skin-to-skin, and weighing/measuring baby can wait. 

1. 1. Birth Cry: Expands baby’s lungs.
   2. Relaxation: Crying has stopped, and baby has no mouth or arm movements.
   3. Awakening: Baby’s head and shoulders move, eyes open, and mouth movements begin (usually about 3-4 minutes after birth).
   4. Activity: Mouthing and sucking movements increase, and baby starts rooting (turning head toward the chest). Baby is about 8 minutes old now.
   5. Rest: Baby will cycle through periods of rest and activity throughout the first hour.
   6. Crawling: Baby scoots/reaches for the breast. This stage usually starts about 35 minutes after birth.
   7. Familiarization: Baby explores by licking/mouthing the nipple and touching the breast. Baby is around 45 minutes old and may familiarize themselves with the breast for 20 minutes or more before latching.
   8. Suckling: Baby self-attaches to the breast and begins to suck. This usually occurs about 1 hour after birth.
   9. Sleep: Babies usually fall asleep about 1 ½ - 2 hours after birth. Establishing that early breastfeeding session can increase future success.

Having a C-section, pain medications (which can make baby drowsy), or mom/baby needing advanced check-ups after delivery, might delay immediate skin-to-skin contact. If separation occurs or skin-to-skin time is interrupted several times in the first hour, baby may fall asleep. When they wake up, they will go through the stages again (except the birth cry). Babies will continue to go through these stages when placed skin-to-skin for future feedings but will get through them faster. If mom is unable to do skin-to-skin, dad or another support person is the next best option. 

The journey to the breast activates baby’s instincts, improves the chances of a good, deep latch and sets you up for a healthy milk supply and future breastfeeding success!

SOURCE:
https://www.magicalhour.org/aboutus.html 
https://www.lllc.ca/first-hours-after-birth-nine-instinctive-stages