Skin-to-Skin Delivery Options

skin to skin delivery optionsBuena Vista Regional Medical Center skin-to-skin contact immediately after birth for special bonding time between mom and baby.

Skin-to-skin contact is a practice that BVRMC has used for vaginal births for several years and now also with C-section births. With the right safe conditions for mother and baby, the baby is given to the mother minutes after birth and placed on the mother’s chest to begin bonding. The baby stays skin-to-skin with mom until its first feeding.

Moms are asked during the admission process if they are interested in skin-to-skin contact. During a vaginal birth, once mom has delivered the baby it is placed in warm blankets on her abdomen. The staff can still wipe off the baby and perform post-delivery care on the mother’s chest; including assessments, administering medications, and assessing baby’s vitals. Once the baby is dry, the baby is dressed in a hat and diaper and placed on the mother’s bare chest with a warm blanket.

If mom is delivering by C-section, surgery staff is notified to accommodate the request if safety criteria is met. Upon a C-section delivery, the baby is handed to the obstetrics doctor and taken to the warmer for immediate assessment. If mom and baby are both able, the baby is dressed in a hat and diaper and taken over to the mother’s chest. The baby is covered with a warm blanket. Mother and baby remain together for the remainder of the surgery.

Skin-to-skin helps stabilize a baby’s temperature, heart rate, respiratory rate, and glucose levels when the newborn transitions to life outside the uterus. It also increases the chance of successful breastfeeding success as the baby is more likely to latch on and breastfeed longer.

Skin-to-skin helps mothers with higher rates of successful breastfeeding and decreases the chances of heavy bleeding after delivery because the contact releases oxytocin (known as the love hormone) which causes the uterus to contract.

Of course the best part of skin-to-skin is the bonding between mom and the newborn.

“Holding my daughter skin-to-skin in the operating room turned a sterile procedure into a real birth experience. I was able to finally bond and establish that relationship with my baby in those first minutes of life. It was the most amazing experience.”

“I am convinced that the ease of breastfeeding and the bond that we have to this day, all have to do with that experience.”

“All the nurses, doctors, and anesthetists worked hard together to make sure that I had as much time with my daughter right after delivery as possible, while keeping us both safe and comfortable. I am so thankful for First Embrace for always going above and beyond to make our family’s experience there as special as possible.”

BVRMC OB Women's Choice Award 2020

Skin-to-skin is an option for many moms that are delivering vaginally or delivering by C-section. The First Embrace Obstetrics team, made up of your doctor, nurses, and surgery staff will evaluate the safety conditions of the birth and facilitate skin-to-skin when able. The safety of baby and mom are always the primary concern.