Saw this at a hospital. A reminder that dads can also bond with newborns.

iainmf · 2017-05-01T04:58:16+00:00

Bonding is only one benefit.

Impact on the baby

Father SSC is as effective as mother SSC in raising a baby’s temperature and there is no difference between father and mother skin-to-skin on biophysical measures of the baby’s expenditure of energy. (Sweden, Germany)
Babies experiencing father SSC had significantly higher blood glucose levels (protection from cold) than babies who were left instead in an incubator. (Sweden)
Babies who experienced father SSC showed lower levels of salivary cortisol when handled, indicating a lower stress response. (Sweden)
Babies receiving father SSC were more easily comforted and stopped crying more quickly than babies left in the cot. (Sweden)
Pre-feeding behaviours, such as rooting and sucking activities, were less frequent among the infants who received father SSC, which meant that they were calmer than the infants placed in the cot. Infants receiving father SSC started breastfeeding a little later than those receiving SSC only from their mothers. (Sweden)
Two studies found small differences between mother and father SSC. A Swedish study found that father SSC was more effective than mother SSC in comforting a crying baby but mother SSC led to less whining. A Canadian study found that the baby’s pain response was marginally less during a blood test. But the differences are small and could be due to other factors (e.g. a mother may be more likely to take charge of a fussy baby).

Impact on father

Fathers who provided SSC to preterm infants exhibited more caring behaviours and developed a more sensitive approach to their infants. (India)
After a pre-term birth, father SSC was linked to better cognitive development of the baby and more engagement at home by the father (as reported by the mother). (Colombia)
Paternal oxytocin levels were significantly increased and cortisol levels were significantly decreased during and after SSC. Oxytocin is linked to love and care, cortisol to anxiety. Fathers who provided SSC felt less stress, less anxious, and had better relationship with the mother. (USA, Sweden)
Father SSC, like mother SSC, promotes verbal interaction between infant and parent within minutes of the birth, based on measurements from Caesarean births. The difference was stronger for infant boys. (Sweden)
Fathers who have experienced SSC feel more in control when handling unexpected situations and participated more in infant care. (Denmark, Sweden)

SaigaFan · 2017-05-01T03:31:32+00:00

Especially when my kids were sick, just holding them skin on skin made a huge difference in a way that was completely different than my wife holding them.

On several occasions I'd spend most of the night reclined in the rocking chair trying to keep a sick kid asleep while I tried to nap off and on. Skin on skin (well...hairy skin...) contact made a huge difference in them sleeping.

boxsterguy · 2017-05-01T08:27:58+00:00

I was lucky enough to get first skin to skin contact with both of my sons when they were born, if only for a minute. It's something my wife and I discussed as something I wanted to do for bonding purposes (I can't breastfeed, obviously ...). She wasn't 100% on board, but when both kids ended up breech and had to be delivered c-section that gave me the opportunity to carry the kid to her after cutting the cord and the nurses did all their measurements. I just opened up the surgical gown I was wearing (I was not in a sterile part of the OR, so it was okay and in fact encouraged by the nurses), snuggled the kid right up, held him for a moment, and then handed him off to the wife while the doctor closed her up.

It was only for a minute with each, and obviously there were many later skin to skin contact instances, but that "first" for each is something I'll cherish forever.

richJ73 · 2017-05-01T13:06:03+00:00

When my first was born the nurse told me to take my t-shirt off before I held the baby, I thought it was a weird sterile policy as I had been wearing the t-shirt for like 30 hours at this point.

hapaxx_legomenon · 2017-05-01T14:18:27+00:00

In my experience, I found that a midwife was a great help in ensuring a father is as fully included as possible in the pregnancy and birth process.

They will strongly advocate for skin to skin with both parents, and can also make sure everything is going medically according to plans/wishes so you can focus on the moment and your partner instead.

Having a midwife in the hospital is a nice kind of middle ground between modern and traditional ways of having kids.

Flupox · 2017-05-01T12:46:28+00:00

Crossposting this to r/daddit

MingoBarnes · 2017-05-01T14:56:09+00:00

Whenever I see a baby sleeping peacefully I immediately wish I was a baby still.

wont_tell_i_refuse · 2017-05-02T00:06:36+00:00

Wonder what the psychological effect of being strapped to a table and having a part of your dick sliced off is.

petemate · 2017-05-01T12:00:14+00:00

Credit valley? Sounds like my life..

Title	Saw this at a hospital. A reminder that dads can also bond with newborns.
Author	fuck-r-news-mods
Upvotes	870
Comments	28
Date	May 1, 2017 1:54 AM UTC (9 years ago)
Subreddit	Posted in /r/MensRights
Original Link	https://old.reddit.com/r/MensRights/comments/68jc27/saw_this_at_a_hospital_a_reminder_that_dads_can/
Archive Link	https://theredarchive.com/r/MensRights/saw-this-at-a-hospital-a-reminder-that-dads-can.923665 https://theredarchive.com/post/923665

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