This is the time immediately after birth and lasting for about two hours. This is probably one of my favourite parts of God’s design. Not only is this the most euphoric experience because the moment you’ve been working toward has finally arrived but God’s purposeful, multilayered, process is on display. The moment baby is meant to go from being nourished from the placenta to the breast is thoughtful, prepared, and planned during pregnancy to allow this moment to be blissful and amazing.

So let’s take a look at all the ways God prepared our bodies and our babies to connect in this moment.

Two Hours Undisturbed 

Once a baby is born they should lay peacefully on their mother’s chest/belly while the mother is in a reclined position for at least two hours undisturbed. If left undisturbed, a baby will naturally climb along a mother’s belly up toward her breast and latch on to the nipple when they are ready.⁷  Hold off weighing the baby, applying eye ointment, bathing, preforming the Vitamin K shot, and any other procedures until after babies have crawled up to the nipple and latched on.¹⁰

Do not let practitioners rush this process, convince you to swaddle your baby, give your baby to anyone else, or put him/her down. 

Don’t Wipe Baby Off

There are tiny bumps on a woman’s areola’s called Montgomery glands. These glands secrete an oil that has a similar scent to the amniotic fluid (the fluid that surrounds baby in the womb).¹² After birth, the baby’s body and hands are covered with reminisce of amniotic fluid. When a baby starts to be alert, their instincts for hunger begin by suckling their hands tasting the amniotic fluid. The baby uses this scent to guide their way to the nipple which is secreting a similar scent.

The baby is also coated in a waxy substance called vernix, which protects and lubricates the baby’s thin skin.¹³ It’s best to allow the vernix to completely absorb into the skin rather than wiping it off. 

You can ask your providers to not vigorously rub down your baby unless medically necessary (typically medical necessity for this is if they need to stimulate baby in order to help them cry). 

Unswaddled/No Mittens

The baby should be unswaddled and no mittens. This leaves a baby’s hands and legs free to use their instincts to find the mother’s breast and begin suckling.

The baby should be unswaddled and no mittens. After a baby suckles on their hands and begins their quest to search for the nipple, they will need their hands and feet free to crawl their way to the breast. A mother’s nipples darken throughout pregnancy in order to help baby find the nipple during this process. Once they will find the nipple they are able to latch on. It is important to not cover their hands with mittens to allow them the full sensation of their mother’s skin and allow them to suckle on them when needed.

In later months, hand-to-mouth is an early hunger cue and is important to feed the baby as soon as possible. Crying is a late hunger cue. Hand-to-mouth should never be inhibited, or discouraged as it is a natural and instinctive part of alerting the parents that they need to be fed.

Belly to Belly

Laid back nursing with baby and mom belly to belly creates pressure on the baby’s abdomen. This pressure facilitates a reflex in the infant that encourages them to begin suckling.¹¹ Try to not lean forward or hold baby on your lap – especially if there is nipple pain.

Delay First Bath

Many practitioners may offer to bathe your baby within the first couple hours of birth and this can pose complications if you have not latched your baby yet. A bath is a new stimulus and can never exactly match the temperature, consistency, and feeling of the amniotic fluid. A bath also means being taken away from their mother. Both can be overwhelming to a new born and cause them to become too stressed or uninterested in breastfeeding. You can simply take a warm cloth and wipe their face of any visual debris if you’re unable to latch your baby yet, but would like to clean them up.

Feed During Shots 

You should establish breastfeeding first and complete a full successful feed (with no pain) before performing any procedure involving injections. You can keep your baby as comfortable as possible by nursing them during their shots.

If this procedure is done before breastfeeding is established then of course baby has not endured physical pain and begins to cry. They want immediate comfort but do not have time to suckle their hands and crawl up toward the nipple. They are kicking and crying and cannot allow their instincts to lead, therefore, they cry harder and longer. Breastfeeding during a painful procedure once the baby has the task established is best to provide a natural and comforting solution for pain.

Other Ways The Golden Hour Impacts Mom And Baby

There is an important role skin-to-skin plays in managing postpartum bleeding. After your baby is born, you will need to deliver the placenta. Having your baby close to you encourages oxytocin release. Oxytocin is the main hormone that stimulates uterine contractions. So yes, we still will experience contractions after birth (but they are not nearly as intense)! These contractions after birth encourages the placenta to pull away from the uterine wall and be delivered (thus, there is no need for cord traction).

Once the placenta is pulled away from the uterine wall, there is a large wound left in its place. As your uterus continues to contract, the wound rapidly decreases in size. The more oxytocin, the quicker this wound closes. As the wound closes, the bleeding lessens. Routine Pitocin is administered after birth to prevent bleeding. However, this is a synthetic medication that can interfere with your hormones. The best thing to do in order to prevent haemorrhaging is to cuddle, kiss, hold, and breastfeed your baby. It’s like God planned it so perfectly!

Lastly, leaving baby skin-to-skin for two hours immediately after birth also helps regulate baby’s body temperature and keep them warm.