Starting Life Together: The Golden Hour

Video: The Golden Hour

Skin-to-skin contact after birth is the best way for a newborn and mother to bond. The sooner after birth this can happen, the better experience the family will have. That’s why at the Family Birth Center, we encourage the Golden Hour (baby's first hour). This is a special time right after birth for mom, dad and baby to spend quiet time together.

The American Association of Pediatricians (AAP) recommends that healthy newborns be placed in “skin-to-skin” contact with the mother until the first round of breastfeeding is established. Your doctor and care team can conduct the first physical assessment of the baby while he or she is on the mother’s chest. Conventional procedures such as weighing, measuring, bathing, injections or blood test can wait until after the first feeding if the care team decides it is safe to do so.

In addition to the Golden Hour, AAP recommends that mom and baby stay together throughout the recovery process. Our Family Birth Center provides comfortable suites that allow for the family to room together throughout their entire stay.

Research studies show that babies who have the skin-to-skin contact:

• cry less
• have more stable temperatures
• have more stable heart rate, respiratory rate and blood pressure
• have more stable blood sugars
• breastfeed sooner, longer and much more easily
• are exposed to normal bacteria on the mother, which can protect them from getting sick
• have lower levels of stress hormones

There are many advantages to the Golden Hour and at the Family Birth Center we will do what we can to help mom, dad and baby have this time together.