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Skin-to-Skin Contact
Skin-to-skin contact is a method of
caring for newborn infants that involves putting the infant on the
mother’s chest skin-to-skin. Through body contact with her infant, the
mother provides warmth and stimulation that simulates the prenatal
environment. Although the benefits of skin-to-skin contact both for
premature and full-term infants have been extensively researched, there
has been less attention paid to its effects on the mother and the
developing mother-infant relationship. A multidisciplinary team of
researchers and practitioners in Nova Scotia, Canada, conducted a study
to examine the impact of mother-infant skin-to-skin contact on mothers
and their developing relationship with their babies. The DVDs,
“Enhancing Baby’s First Relationship: A Parents’ Guide for Skin-to-Skin
Contact with Their Infants” and “Enhancing Baby’s First Relationship:
Results from a Study on Mother-Infant Skin-to-Skin Contact”, highlight
findings from this study along with accounts by mothers and fathers
about their experiences with skin-to-skin care with their infants.
These DVDs and their accompanying Guide
have been created for expectant and new parents and for the perinatal
care practitioners who support and care for them during this important
time.
Enhancing
Baby’s First Relationship: A Parents’ Guide for Skin-to-Skin Contact
with Their Infants gives a
general overview of the findings (length 20 minutes). If you have
difficulty opening the video from the link above try this link.
Enhancing Baby’s First Relationship: Results from
a Study on Mother-Infant Skin-to-Skin Contact presents the
findings in more detail (length 28 minutes). If you have difficulty
opening the video from the link above try this link.
The Guide to Support the Use of the DVDs
was created to help facilitators introduce either DVD to groups of new
and expectant parents or to health practitioners, and to facilitate the
discussion of the material presented after the viewing. It includes
supplementary information on mother-infant skin-to-skin contact.
All rights reserved.
© Ann Bigelow, Doris Gillis, 2010
The authors permit the use of this material for non-commercial,
educational purposes only.
For more information, please contact:
Dr. Ann Bigelow, St. Francis Xavier University, P.O. Box 5000,
Antigonish, NS, B2G 2W5
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