Birth · The first hour
The golden hour.
Skin to skin, heartbeat to heartbeat. The first hour with your baby is one of the most beautiful of your life, and here's how to make the most of it.
She's here. Warm and damp and astonishingly small, she's laid on your bare chest, and the whole room seems to go quiet. Her cheek against your skin. Her heartbeat against yours. You've waited months for this moment, and it's even sweeter than you imagined.
That first stretch together has a name: the golden hour. It's a time to do almost nothing at all except hold her, and it turns out that's exactly what she needs.
What the golden hour is
The first hours after birth are often called the golden hour. If you and your baby are both doing well, your care team dries her off, may pop a little hat on her head, and settles her belly down, right on your chest. A warm blanket goes over her back, and the two of you get to know each other.
Many of the routine newborn steps can wait. The American Academy of Pediatrics notes that after about an hour, your baby will be weighed, measured and examined. Her first bath can wait even longer, often 12 to 24 hours.
Why skin to skin is so good for her
Your chest is the perfect place for a brand-new baby. Holding her bare skin to your bare skin helps her settle into life on the outside:
- Warmth. Your body helps keep her body temperature steady.
- A steadier heart and breath. Skin to skin is linked with a steadier heart rate and more regular breathing.
- Balanced blood sugar. It helps stabilize her blood sugar in those first hours.
- Calm and rest. Babies held this way tend to have more quiet sleep and longer sleep cycles.
And it's good for you, too. Skin to skin helps with bonding, may help reduce bleeding after birth, and can help you feel more confident caring for her.
The first feed
If you're planning to breastfeed, the golden hour is a lovely time to begin. Healthy, alert babies held skin to skin can often latch on their own in the first hour after birth. Some will nuzzle and snuggle first, some will latch and suckle briefly. All of it counts.
The AAP recommends that breastfeeding babies spend time skin to skin right after birth, and babies who nurse early are more likely to still be breastfeeding at two to four months.
If you're bottle feeding, skin to skin is just as wonderful. Her first feed can happen right there on your chest, close and warm.
Tell your team ahead of time
Your wishes for the first hour are worth sharing before the big day. Let your doctor or midwife know that you'd love immediate skin to skin and time together before routine checks, if you and your baby are both doing well. If you'd prefer that she isn't given water, a pacifier or formula without a medical reason, say so, too.
A moment for the cord
In many births today, the umbilical cord isn't cut right away. The AAP notes it's now common to wait at least 30 seconds to 1 minute after delivery before cutting the cord. If you'd like your partner to do the honors, ask ahead.
Partners hold her close, too
Skin to skin isn't only for moms. Partners, dads and other family members can hold her this way and give her the same warmth and comfort. If you need a little time after birth, your partner can step in and hold her chest to chest until you're ready.
It's one of the sweetest sights there is: a brand-new parent with a brand-new baby tucked under their chin.
After a C-section
A cesarean birth doesn't mean missing out. Care teams try to help with skin to skin after a vaginal birth or a C-section. And if you need a little time to recover first, your partner or another support person can hold her skin to skin until you're ready.
Ask your care team what's possible where you're delivering, and share your wishes early.
The more, the better
There's no stopwatch on this. The more time you spend skin to skin, the better, and it's wonderful long after the first hour, too. In the days and weeks ahead, whenever you need to slow down, unbutton your shirt and hold her close while you're awake.
Welcome to the world, little one. And welcome to the sweetest hour, Mama.
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Where this comes from
This article draws on guidance from American Academy of Pediatrics and Cleveland Clinic guidance. It's here to help, not to replace your own doctor, midwife or pediatrician. If you have questions, ask them.
- Kangaroo Care (Skin to Skin Contact) Benefits, Cleveland Clinic
- What to Expect in the Delivery Room Following a Normal Vaginal Birth, American Academy of Pediatrics (HealthyChildren.org)
- The First Feeding, American Academy of Pediatrics (HealthyChildren.org)
- Simple, but lifesaving: skin-to-skin contact immediately after birth, World Health Organization