All About Skin-to-Skin and Kangaroo Care

Skin-to-skin and kangaroo care can improve neurological development and health, lower stress and crying, boost lactation, reduce postpartum depression. The list of benefits seems to go on and on. Research shows that skin-to-skin is even more important for preemies.

How simple is it to do, and how long should you do it for? Sylvia Houston tells us more.

What we talked about:

• The benefits of skin-to-skin for baby’s neurological development
• How do you do skin-to-skin?
• How long should you do it for?
• Helping baby spend time in their natural habitat
• Why it’s called a 4th trimester
• Skin-to-skin and preemies
• How to be safe while doing skin-to-skin
• How skin-to-skin can help restore the primary caregiver-baby bond after separation
• Does it have to be the primary caregiver?
• How huge is huge: the reduction of crying thanks to skin-to-skin

Resources, links, and other great info:

• Benefits of skin-to-skin for babies (list of research articles) from Sylvia’s website
• Benefits of skin-to-skin for moms (list of research articles) from Sylvia’s website
• 7 Reasons To Be Skin-To-Skin With Your Baby After Birth, from Mommypotamus
• Fathers and skin-to-skin contact, from KangarooMotherCare.com
• The Importance of Skin to Skin Contact, by Dr. Jack Newman
• The Science Behind the Practice of Skin-to-Skin Contact

About Sylvia Houston

Sylvia Houston has been championing the efforts for skin-to-skin and kangaroo care since 2001. She is certified by the United States Institute for Kangaroo Care, and has served as skin-to-skin consultant and in-service instructor in birthing centers and hospitals across the globe. In an effort to help moms provide kangaroo care to their babies, and after years of research, Sylvia began developing garments for mothers to safely hold their infants in Skin-to- Skin Contact, breastfeed, and be hands-free; whether it be in during their hospital stay, in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), at home, or out and about. As such, her company is the only confirmed designer, manufacturer and producer of skin-to-skin garments in the world. More recently, her knowledge and products have been instrumental in bringing the Kangaroo Mother Care to Rwanda.

Learn more at her website www.preciousimagecreations.com or join the conversation on Facebook.