Those first moments after your baby enters the world can be some of the most precious. That new baby smell, the immediate skin to skin contact, the beginnings of the parent/baby bond, it’s immediate bliss. However, many women may not get to experience this golden hour because it is not standard practice in the US. In today’s post, we will discuss the many reasons why you should request an undisturbed golden hour after your baby is born.
What is a Golden Hour?
A “golden hour” is defined as a newborn baby being skin to skin with their mother for an uninterrupted hour immediately following the birth. However, in my opinion, it is so much more than this!
When you experience labor and birth, you and your baby are both physically drained. Birth is the hardest work your body has ever performed. Your baby has also worked very hard during labor and birth, that’s why they’re so tired when they’re first born. Having a golden hour of uninterrupted, quiet, peaceful bonding allows for reduced stress levels in both mother and baby. This hour includes no one poking and prodding mom her baby, and the environment in the room being calm and soothing.
Many times in the hospital setting, your baby is placed on your chest and immediately wiped down. The cord is cut, the baby is removed, weighed, cleaned, and vitals are taken before being returned to mom. This is an incredibly jarring way to enter the world. Imagine going from a quiet, peaceful, dark environment, to a loud, bright, sterile one where someone is roughly wiping you down and flipping you around. These are standard practices in the hospital, but should be left up to the parent as to whether they take place or not. I believe that a proper golden hour can be achieved wherever you decide to birth your baby. You must simply advocate for yourself and your wants/needs.
Maternal Benefits
When you first give birth, your body has just gone through a crazy transformation. Your hormones are dropping rapidly, your vaginal area has just gone through a significant trauma, and you have adrenaline coursing through your veins. Having one hour of undisturbed time with your newborn baby can regulate your stress levels and your heart rate.
Having a time with just you, your baby, and your partner can allow for an easier transition to life with your new family member as you all bond and get to know each other. During pregnancy, your oxytocin receptors increase. When your baby is born, you become more responsive to this hormone. Having an immediate time of skin to skin causes your brain to release oxytocin which can increase your maternal instincts. This can really increase your maternal confidence.
The golden hour also allows for the natural act of breastfeeding to occur without pressure and on your babies timeframe. Mothers who are allowed to enjoy this special time of quiet bonding are statistically more likely to have a successful breastfeeding journey. Your body is also able to complete labor with the help of the oxytocin as it delivers the placenta. Typically, your placenta is born naturally within 10 to 60 minutes of your baby being born. It may be difficult to keep a member of your birth team in the room for that amount of time, but it is completely possible It’s also completely within your rights to ask for them to stay hands off until it’s time for your placenta to come.
Does a Golden Hour Help Prevent PPD?
This uninterrupted time also allows for protection against the effects of separation from your baby. Some women experience intense postpartum anxiety or depression as a result of being immediately separated from heir baby. It is your primal instinct to want to be near your newborn, and it can cause mental trauma for them to be taken away. Having a time of immediate bonding can help you to feel more comfortable and safe. It can also cause your body to relax quicker and easier.
Benefits for Baby
The bond between mother and baby cannot be overlooked. There are so many different ways in which your baby’s body will react to yours. For instance, your heart rate becomes more stable as you relax into this moment of bonding with your baby. Your baby’s heart rate will actually slow to match your heart rate and become more stable as well.
Another benefit to the golden hour is that your baby cries less. When your little one is less tampered with, their stress level is able to regulate and they’re able calm quicker. Therefore they aren’t as distressed and they cry less. Some babies become lethargic or disassociated when they are allowed to cry in despair after birth. The golden hour provides close contact to keep baby calm and allow the natural progress of newborn development to occur.
Babies are born with the same primal instinct as the mother when it comes to remaining close to their parent. They preserve energy and heat when they are allowed to remain close to their parent. Their body temperature is also able to regulate as they lie on their mothers chest. The mothers’ chest is warmer than any other part of her body and can keep the baby from cooling down. Being skin to skin with the baby allows for the mothers’ good bacteria to be picked up and protect the baby. Therefore the babies risk of infection’s significantly decreases. (This is also the case for skin to skin with dad.)
Breastfeeding Benefits
When an unmedicated baby is born and is immediately placed tummy down on their mother’s stomach for a time of uninterrupted bonding, they will instinctively crawl to the breast and attach themselves to breastfeed. This is called “the breast crawl”. The golden hour allows for the natural act of breast-feeding to occur without pressure and on the babies timeframe. Often times if the baby is left to self-attach to the breast without help or force, the first nursing session ends up being better digested by the baby. Babies who are allowed to begin breastfeeding when they’re ready are also at lower risk for low blood sugar levels. Newborns can produce glucose from their body’s stored energy until they have figured out breastfeeding, but being skin to skin enhances their body’s ability to do so.
Having a golden hour also allows for plenty of time to do delayed cord clamping. If you choose to wait the entire hour before clamping the cord, the cord can be completely done pulsing.
The 9 Stages of the Golden hour
The golden hour can be broken up into nine simple stages.
- Stage one: babies first cry. As your baby’s lungs fill with oxygen for the first time, he lets out a cry. As he is placed directly onto his mothers chest, covered in warm blankets or towels, his cries subside as he acclimate to the bright, new, loud world around him.
- Stage two: relaxation. As your baby is crying, he enters the stage of relaxation. He takes in the new smells of his mother and lies still and relaxed on his mothers chest. His hands are soft and open as he breathes in and rests after the effort he gave during the birth.
- Stage 3: the first movements. Typically around five minutes after birth, your baby will begin to move deliberately on his own. Opening and shutting his eyes, moving his head and shoulders, making small noises, opening his hands a bit, and moving his tongue.
- Stage 4: deliberate activity. Your babies instincts kick in as his movements increase and become more noticeable. He may now begin rooting for breast milk, looking around at mom, and moving his hands to his mouth.
- Stage 5: intermittent resting. Your baby has just gone through the biggest work out of their life. All the effort of looking for milk may tire them out quickly. Your baby will need rest often and will want to move at his own pace as he acclimates to all the changes his body is going through.
- Stage 6: the breast crawl. Your baby is born with a “stepping reflex” that allows him to scoot up your chest towards your breast. Your colostrum smells like his amniotic fluid and he is moving towards that familiar smell. He will try to align himself with your nipple, and he may need some help. But you can totally allow him to do this on his own. Letting him do this on his own can actually improve the chances of him having a successful latch later on.
- Stage 7: acclamation. As your baby becomes familiar with your breast, she will learn how to rub, lick, touch, and make noises to get your attention and let you know what she needs. These little sounds and movements she makes signal milk to start being produced. They also encourage the rising of oxytocin levels in both herself and in you, which can increase your bond and create a stronger attachment.
- Stage 8: feeding. Around 30 to 60 minutes after birth, your baby will latch himself to your breast (he may need a little bit of help since this is his first time and he’s learning too!) and begin to nurse.
- Stage 9: rest. This first feeding is not critically nutritionally important. It is more about bonding and familiarizing each other with the technique of breastfeeding. Now is the time when mother and baby tend to drift to sleep as baby nurses. Sleep is much needed after the marathon you both just ran, and may last several hours.
In Conclusion,
Many women are not able to have a golden hour as they or their baby face a time of medical emergency. If this is something you face, try and set aside a time directly after you are able to hold your baby for a sweet, bonding hour! Take back the golden hour with your baby that you didn’t get to have earlier. Any initial bonding time with your baby can be very beneficial to you and your baby!
The golden hour is a beautiful time of intimate bonding with your new baby and your partner. It’s also an essential time of rest and recovery as you all adjust to the new normal that you’ve just entered!
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