When your baby is born, your instinct may be to get them clean, snuggled up in a babygro and swaddled in a blanket. But, say the experts, placing your naked baby on your exposed chest directly after birth can have numerous physical and emotional benefits for the baby, and you, that can’t be matched. Called “skin-to-skin” contact, or kangaroo mother care (KMC), it’s encouraged immediately after birth, and well after discharge from hospital, says Vanessa Booysen, neonatal facilitator at the Department of Health’s Newborn Care Project. “The Academy of Paediatrics recommends skin-to-skin, which is placing your naked baby, wearing only a
