There is, quite literally, nothing as beautiful and soothing as holding your baby in a skin-to-skin embrace. The moment your baby's super-soft skin touches yours, something truly magical happens.
And it's not just that it makes you feel all loved-up and emotional; studies prove that babies and their mums share a deeply physiological connection when they have skin-to-skin contact, the baby's heart rate synchronises to their mum's and an intense chemical connection happens with each other releasing the hormone oxytocin – ' the love hormone' – which helps the uterus contract and plays a critical role in bonding.
This is why skin-to-skin contact for the 'golden hour' – the hour after you give birth (if you can) is so amazing. Scents released by both baby and mother during birth have powerful pheromones that attract the two to each other and allow the baby to ‘sniff out’ her mother’s breast and instinctively begin to nurse.
Skin-to-skin contact with your baby during the first few months is also said to help in other areas like postpartum depression and increasing milk supply for the mother and to soothe a crying baby, helping baby nod off quickly, and it can also help with the infant's health and immune system.
We have watched this incredible video from
Waterwipes a million times, and it is making us super-broody. It's so sweet. Just watch and see (and don't say we didn't warn you!).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O7E_c3G3LPA&feature=youtu.be
WaterWipes is encouraging parents to share their reactions to the film and their personal experiences of using skin-to-skin in the first few weeks of their baby’s life on social media, using hashtag #PureLove.
This article is brought to you by Water Wipes.
