Skin-to-Skin Contact With Your Baby

The NHS says having skin-to-skin contact with your baby straight after birth helps keep them warm and calm and steadies their breathing ¹. The Office on Women's Health says this contact also soothes the baby's crying and helps keep their heart and breathing rates stable ².

Key takeaways

• The NHS says skin-to-skin contact straight after birth helps keep your baby warm and calm and steadies their breathing ¹.
• The Office on Women's Health says the baby's sucking instinct is very strong within the first hour of life ².
• The World Health Organization recommends starting breastfeeding within one hour of birth ³.
• The NHS says skin-to-skin contact helps your baby attach to the breast using their natural crawling and latching-on reflexes ¹.
• The NHS says you will still be able to bond with and breastfeed your baby if skin-to-skin contact has to be delayed, and that if necessary your midwife will show you how to express your breast milk until your baby is ready ¹.

**A quick, honest note:** we're not medical professionals - everything here was researched by us from the public sources listed at the bottom of this page, and it isn't professional advice. Read our full note ↓

What is skin-to-skin contact?

The Office on Women's Health recommends cuddling skin-to-skin with your baby right away after giving birth if you and your baby are healthy ². The NHS says having skin-to-skin contact with your baby straight after birth helps keep them warm and calm and steadies their breathing ¹. The NHS says skin-to-skin time can be a bonding experience for you and your baby, and it is also "a great time to have your first breastfeed" ¹.

What are the benefits of skin-to-skin?

The NHS says having skin-to-skin contact with your baby straight after birth helps keep them warm and calm and steadies their breathing ¹. The Office on Women's Health says, "Skin-to-skin contact between you and baby will soothe his or her crying and also will help keep your baby's heart and breathing rates stable" ². The NHS says skin-to-skin time can also be a bonding experience for you and your baby ¹.

How does skin-to-skin help breastfeeding?

The NHS says skin-to-skin contact helps your baby attach to the breast using their natural crawling and latching-on reflexes ¹. The NHS says skin-to-skin time right after birth is "a great time to have your first breastfeed" ¹. The Office on Women's Health says, "The sucking instinct is very strong within the baby's first hour of life" ². The World Health Organization recommends early initiation of breastfeeding within one hour of birth ³. The World Health Organization says a review by Moore and colleagues found that mothers who practiced early skin-to-skin contact were more likely to be breastfeeding in the first four months after birth, a modest effect (risk ratio 1.24; 95% confidence interval 1.07 to 1.43) ³. The World Health Organization notes that the overall quality of the trials of early skin-to-skin contact was mixed, with high heterogeneity for some outcomes ³. The NHS says that if you need any help, your midwife will support you with positioning and attachment ¹.

What if skin-to-skin has to wait?

The NHS says that if your baby is delivered by caesarean, you should still be able to have skin-to-skin contact with your baby straight after delivery ¹. The NHS says you will still be able to bond with and breastfeed your baby if skin-to-skin contact is delayed, for example if your baby needs to spend time in special care, and that if necessary your midwife will show you how to express your breast milk until your baby is ready to breastfeed ¹.

Frequently asked questions

What is skin-to-skin contact?

The Office on Women's Health recommends cuddling skin-to-skin with your baby right away after giving birth if you and your baby are healthy ². The NHS says having skin-to-skin contact straight after birth helps keep your baby warm and calm and steadies their breathing ¹.

What are the benefits of skin-to-skin?

The Office on Women's Health says skin-to-skin contact soothes the baby's crying and helps keep their heart and breathing rates stable ². The NHS says it can be a bonding experience and a great time for your first breastfeed ¹.

How does skin-to-skin help breastfeeding?

The NHS says skin-to-skin contact helps your baby attach to the breast using their natural crawling and latching-on reflexes ¹. The Office on Women's Health says the sucking instinct is very strong within the baby's first hour of life ². The World Health Organization recommends starting breastfeeding within one hour of birth ³.

What if skin-to-skin has to wait?

The NHS says that if your baby is delivered by caesarean, you should still be able to have skin-to-skin contact straight after delivery ¹. The NHS says you will still be able to bond with and breastfeed your baby if skin-to-skin contact is delayed, for example if your baby needs to spend time in special care, and that if necessary your midwife will show you how to express your breast milk until your baby is ready ¹.

A note from us

We're the team behind Yael & Michal. We are not doctors, nurses, lactation consultants, or psychologists, and nothing here is professional advice.

Everything above was researched by us from public, reputable sources - we name and link every one of them below - and summarized as carefully as we could, as a free resource for other mothers. We do this because we wished something like it had existed for us.

When we name an organisation such as the CDC, the NHS, La Leche League, or the Israeli Ministry of Health, we are only citing their published guidance; it does not mean they endorse, sponsor, approve, or are affiliated with us. They have no involvement with this site, and we never use their logos or seals.

Yael & Michal sells nursing bras, which are comfort garments and not medical devices; we do not claim they prevent, treat, or cure any medical condition. The health information here is written for you as a free resource - it is separate from anything we sell.

We try hard to get it right, and we cite our sources so you can check us. But we are not a medical authority, and this cannot replace talking to a professional who knows you and your baby. Please check anything that matters with your doctor, midwife, or an IBCLC lactation consultant. This content has not been reviewed by a medical professional. Reading this site does not create a doctor-patient relationship, or any other professional relationship, between you and us.

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Sources

1. NHS (National Health Service). https://www.nhs.uk/baby/breastfeeding-and-bottle-feeding/breastfeeding/the-first-few-days/ (retrieved 2026-07-10).
2. Office on Women's Health (womenshealth.gov). https://womenshealth.gov/breastfeeding/learning-breastfeed/preparing-breastfeed (retrieved 2026-07-10).
3. World Health Organization (WHO). https://www.who.int/tools/elena/commentary/early-breastfeeding (retrieved 2026-07-10).