The importance of skin to skin contact

The best place for your baby

The best place for your baby straight after birth is on your chest. This is a special time that can have lifelong effects. Your baby will be dried and laid directly on your bare chest after birth, covered in warm blankets and left for at least an hour or until after your first feed together.

Skin-to-skin contact can also take place any time a baby needs comforting or calming and to help boost milk supply.  Partners can also be part of ongoing skin-to-skin contact for your baby.

Place your naked baby on your bare chest with a cover over baby's back, not around baby's face.

Skin-to-skin contact is safest when you are alcohol, drug and smoke-free, awake and not exhausted.

Skin-to-skin contact:

• supports a lifelong relationship with you and your baby
• settles your baby's heart rate, breathing and temperature - reduces your baby's stress
• helps your baby recover from the birth and encourages your baby to search for your breast
• keeps your baby warm and comforted
• helps colostrum let-down
• protects your baby from infection and sets up healthy gut bacteria
• reduces your risk of bleeding after the birth
• develops your baby's brain

You might like to check more content on breastfeeding including videos and key messages translated into 9 languages.

See the main skin to skin page with video and translated key messages

See KidsHealth's breastfeeding section

Check KidsHealth's infant nutrition section