We've known for a long time that skin-to-skin contact helps new babies gain weight and grow healthier, but a new study shows that this contact has benefits for new moms as well.
Researchers in Nova Scotia St. Francis Xavier University in Nova Scotia tracked 100 mothers and babies over four years. They found that close skin-to-skin contact led mothers to report less post partum depression, longer duration of breastfeeding and closer relationships with their babies than mothers who did not.
Researcher Ann Bigelow offered several reasons for the benefits for mothers. First, skin-to-skin contact raises levels of oxytocin, a hormone that reduces stress levels and causes feel-good emotions. Secondly, the contact helps babies become calmer, cry less and sleep better, which makes things easier for mothers too.
"Because the baby is being held so close to the mother, the mother learns the baby's signals," Bigelow said. "So the mother is aware when the baby is about to wake up or when the baby is hungry. She gets to know her baby sooner."
And why is skin-to-skin contact so good for babies? Babies receive higher levels of the stress-relieving hormone oxytocin during these times, too. Studies have also found that mothers' chests are naturally warmer after birth. Babies also can feel and hear their mothers' heartbeats and feel more the way they did in the womb. Their needs are met more quickly and the "kangaroo care" has even been shown to lessen feelings of pain and speed recovery.
And what about dads? They, too, report those "warm and fuzzy" feelings and lower stress levels from cuddling their babies. Westbrook father Daryl Hrdlicka says his babies often slept skin-to-skin on his chest, their legs tucked up under them and their heads against his heart. He says, "I miss those days of tree frogging my babies. There's nothing in the world like it."
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