Dear Family: After The Birth, Do Not Hug The Baby In Front Of The Mother
It is important to ensure this first and necessary contact between the mother and the child after the birth: because the first hour of life and contact are very important.
It is undoubtedly as striking as it is worrying that the World Health Organization (WHO) has developed a 16-point protocol to promote a more humane birth. Today in many health centers, childbirth follows such standardized guidelines that many mothers remember the act of giving birth as something almost traumatic.
That is not optimal. It is also not ideal for a newborn to be passed from arm to arm by relatives after the birth if the mother has not yet had the opportunity to see and feel her own child. Today we want to talk to you about this situation. The first contact is of great importance for the emotional world of both protagonists: mother and child.
Dear family, please respect privacy
When a couple goes to the hospital for childbirth, they never know what will happen in the next few hours. It is possible that a caesarean section will need to be performed. Or that the mother has to be sedated and will not have the opportunity to see her newborn child until a few hours after the birth.
Our parents, siblings, uncles and aunts or friends want the best for us and celebrate the birth with joy and many emotions. Of course, many of them can’t help but take the baby out of the crib and pass it arm to arm to welcome it and find out what it looks like.
Dear family, please don’t do that. Few moments mean as much intimacy as the moment after the birth when a mother has to make contact with her child, the beloved child who has been a part of her for nine months.
The importance of early contact
Many specialists speak of an “affective print”, which means that quick contact between the mother and the child is necessary for the first two wonderful hours after the birth.
Nils Bergman, a specialist in perinatal neuroscience, explains that a child’s first 1,000 minutes could be key to their later development.
- We should not forget that childbirth is “traumatic” for the baby. It has moved from a warm and protected environment to a strange world, where suddenly someone touches it, cuts the umbilical cord, washes it and then applies labels to it.
- The world with all its charms is a nuisance for the baby. The amniotic fluid is no longer there to cushion every touch and contact. Suddenly he has unknown feelings: stress, fear, panic.
- All these stimuli can be avoided in a simple way: bring the newborn to its mother. There is no rush to cut the umbilical cord or wash it. Because the most important thing is that it finds rest on this warm skin with the pleasant smell, which from now on will be part of its life.
- This calm creates appropriate changes in his brain. There is no stress and no fear. The mother also begins the process of breastfeeding, releasing oxytocin. Everything is calm and balanced, a wonderful first contact that forms the basis for the mother-child bond.
Dear family, you bring too many smells and too many stimuli into the room
We have to put ourselves in the baby’s position. If it hasn’t met its mother yet, it will feel overwhelmed and lost as it is passed from arm to arm. There are too many different smells, too many strange sensations, noises and diffuse shadows.
There is one essential aspect to be aware of: the only two things a baby needs after birth are its mother and the food she provides. Nothing else.
General tips for family members after giving birth
Above all , we need to celebrate that both mother and child are doing well. We also need to be wise and understand one thing: we will have plenty of time to get to know, love, hug and touch the baby. It is already part of our family and our personal circle.
So, dear family, remember these tips:
- Respects the intimacy of the mother and baby, as well as the couple.
- You don’t have to touch the baby. You have plenty of time for that later. But most of all, never poke it in front of your mother.
- When you touch it, remember that you must have clean hands. If possible, don’t kiss the baby (you will have plenty of time to do that!).
- Do not all come into the room at the same time – what the mother and child need are quiet and intimacy.
