Kangaroo Care 101

Kangaroo Care

Throughout pregnancy, babies are as close to their moms as they can be- in the womb they receive warmth, food, protection and oxygen from their mother’s body. All of a sudden, babies are earth side and suddenly find themselves without easy access to those same nutrients. So it doesn’t come as a surprise that skin-to-skin contact (also called kangaroo care) is beneficial to their tiny bodies. Skin-to-skin allows infants to feel warm and secure once again- and also brings many great benefits! There are two times you want to use skin-to-skin contact, right after birth and during the postpartum period.

1)   Skin-to-skin contact immediately keeps baby warmer and allows them to regulate their temperature after birth using your body heat

2)   Regulates breathing and keeps blood sugar levels higher immediately after birth

3)   Enhances bonding after birth and postpartum

4)   Reduced postpartum depression (babies release hormones that increase serotonin in the mother from the top of their heads! Skip that cap after birth and use ‘kangaroo care’ to regulate the baby’s temperature along with a blanket!)

5)   Happier babies that cry less

6)   Better sleep postpartum

7)   Better gut health and immunity when exposed to mother’s microbiome

8)   Supports breastfeeding supply and demand relationship

If you want to be skin-to-skin snuggling with your babe, be sure to let your practitioners know before you go into labor, and make it an essential part of your birth plan! Contact us if you have more questions about skin-to-skin contact or birthing with a doula! 

Lily Carter

Golden Lotus Doula Services

412.983.0019