The first moments after birth are not only a beautiful and special time for bonding with your new baby, but also critically important to your baby’s development – so much so that some researchers believe what happens in the first hour can impact your child’s future.
Michelle Walton – a therapeutic reflexologist specialising in pregnancy, labour and the postpartum period, a doula and owner of Johannesburg-based Birthrite – explains that the first hour after birth is crucial, because newborns go through nine distinct developmental phases during this time.
“Perhaps the most significant benefit of skin to skin is its proven ability to boost breastfeeding success.”
“Therefore, what happens in this first hour
