According to Dr. Le Quang Thanh (Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City Maternal and Fetal Medicine Association, Vice President of the Vietnam Obstetrics and Gynecology Association, former Director of Tu Du Hospital ), the " skin-to-skin " method after birth is beneficial for both baby and mother.

Specifically, with skin-to-skin contact, the baby is held and pressed against the mother's chest and abdomen immediately after birth, providing warmth, helping the baby stabilize body temperature, heart rate, breathing, nerve conduction, bringing deep sleep to the baby..., and also creating emotional affection between mother and child.

For mothers, when applying skin-to-skin contact , it helps the mother feel secure (when the baby is close to her), helps reduce postpartum pain, and helps recover health faster after giving birth...

PHOTO: Contributor

That was the sharing of Dr. Le Quang Thanh at the seminar on the topic of skin-to-skin, organized by Glico Vietnam in coordination with doctors,... on March 13, in Ho Chi Minh City.

According to Dr. Le Quang Thanh, after birth, skin-to-skin contact should be applied for at least 90 minutes, the more the better (6 weeks after birth or more), especially for premature and low-birth -weight babies. If skin-to-skin contact is applied within the first 90 minutes after birth, it will help stabilize the baby's physiology and increase the baby's resistance. The baby will receive antibodies and beneficial bacteria from the mother's skin, which will help improve the baby's digestive system later on. In addition, it will help reduce about 50% of the rate of children having to use antibiotics early, helping to reduce about 40% of the mortality rate in low-birth-weight babies...

The advantage of skin-to-skin method is also in the aspect of creating a natural reflex - when the baby looks for the mother's breast to suckle immediately after birth, this is the golden nutrition, the best for the baby.

Dr. Le Quang Thanh said that today, among modern mothers, many are reluctant to breastfeed their babies after birth. Some pump milk for their babies to drink instead of breastfeeding them directly, for fear of affecting their appearance. There are also busy mothers who do not have time to breastfeed their babies.

"However, breastfeeding after birth will create affection between mother and baby, and also help increase circulation in both breasts. Many pregnant mothers have more beautiful bodies after giving birth (due to changes in the body's hormones), so there is a folk saying 'a woman with one child is a sight for sore eyes'; in addition, breastfeeding after birth also helps mothers reduce breast cancer...", Dr. Thanh shared more.