Early Skin to Skin Contact During Caesarean Section

The operation room at Yui Clinic is considerably small; however, we recommend that family members be present at childbirth. We have had cases where husbands and older kids were present during the cesarean operation.

However, if the older brother/sister is too young to be in the operation room, we suggest that he/she visit after the operation when his/her mother can already hold the new baby. We all know that very young children have difficulty sitting still in a small room for a long period of time. It would be helpful if a family member or a babysitter watches over the older child(ren) so that the father can concentrate on the mother undergoing the operation.

Yui Clinic would like to introduce early skin to skin contact for cesarean section. The temperature at the surgery room is adjusted to a particular degree comfortable to the baby. When the baby is born, we pull out the amniotic fluid and check the baby’s condition carefully. After that, we place the naked baby on the mother’s bare chest and place a towel on the baby. If the room temperature is low, a bonnet is put on the baby’s head. Midwives will be there to assist the mother and the baby during the entire process.

In Yui Clinic, we do not practice tourniquet which is to tie the mother’s hands to the table. With her free hands, the mother can touch her baby easily. While the mother is holding her baby, we check the baby’s body temperature, respiratory condition, and the baby’s heart rate. We also attach a monitor called Spo2 to monitor the oxygen saturation in the baby. There have been cases that we had to cancel the early skin to skin contact because of the delicate condition of either the mother or child or both.

We would like to prolong the early skin-to-skin contact between the mother and her child depending on their condition.

Early skin to skin contact usually takes 40 to 50 minutes. It starts when the baby is born until the completion of the surgery. We also recommend that the father hold his baby after the surgery is completed.

Early Skin to Skin Contact for Caesarean Section

Skin to Skin Contact During Cesarean Section: YouTube video

With the lecture by Dr. Fumi Shimabukuro

Early Skin to skin contact with Dad