Skin to Skin Contact with Your Premature Baby

When you find out you’re pregnant, the last thing you want to do is plan for a less than ideal birth. You want to share 40 weeks of blissful pregnancy, followed by a four hour labor and five minute delivery, then hold your newborn in your arms and bond. I hope that’s your experience.

But it may not be. And if it’s not, you’ll likely experience a range of emotions from fear to anger to grief. But remember, even if things don’t go as you’d hoped, you can still have a perfectly healthy baby.

One possible change in your plan is a premature birth. Sadly, when baby comes early, there may need to be more medical intervention than your baby would have faced at full term. You may have to give up some of the things you feel are most important about your birth plan. But one thing you may be able to keep is skin-to-skin contact with your baby.

Watch this video now, so you’ll have information that may come in handy later — though I hope it will be a non-issue for you.

Did you have a premature birth? Do you have any other advice to help a new mom who may face life with a premie?

Planning for the possibility of a premature birth isn’t the only thing you can do to significantly improve your baby’s birth outcome. Did you know that the first 90 seconds of your baby’s life can potentially be the most important of its entire life?

Click here to learn more about optimal (or delayed) cord clamping, to make sure your baby gets the blood and nutrients needed to begin life with a running start!