A heartwarming photograph of a Belgian child giving his tiny sibling some 'skin-to-skin' care has gone viral.
The child is pictured propped up against his dad on a hospital bed, with each of them carefully cradling a premature baby on their chests.
The image was posted on Facebook by NINO Birth (Neuroscience for Improved Neonatal Outcomes) who explained that Sweden is leading the way in this type of care:
"Children of 700 grams can be skin-to-skin on the parent's chest instead of the incubator. A Swedish Professor Uwe Ewald, came to Hvidovre hospital (Denmark) to talk about his revolutionary practice, where even very small premature babies are taken out of the incubator to be skin to skin with their parents as much as possible."
The HSE recommends immediate skin-to-skin contact in Irish hospitals too and believes it's important for the physiological and psychological well-being of both baby and mother. Experts believe it could also prove very beneficial for premature babies born up to three months early to be placed on a parent's chest instead of in an incubator exclusively.
Professor Ewald points out that the parent's chest regulates the temperature better than an incubator. Skin to skin contact is also said to help the baby to breathe better and gain weight faster. Research shows that parents bacterial flora - compared with hospital bacteria - reduces the risk of serious infections in these delicate children.
A 2015 study found that skin-to-skin care, also referred to as “kangaroo care”, can reduce an infant's risk of sepsis and improve vital signs.
Was skin-to-skin contact important to your baby's development? Let us know on Twitter @HerFamilydotie.
