Mothers: How to Keep Your New Born Baby Alive Minutes After Birth

SKIN-TO-SKIN CONTACT REGULATES A BABY'S HEARTBEAT, SAY EXPERTS After birth, skin-to-skin contact is recognised as a simple step mothers can take to welcome their baby into the world.

For Kate and David Ogg the point is all the more pertinent.

The birth process is a stressful and exhausting time for the baby. Unicef advises mothers to hold their child in skin-to-skin contact to help their baby 'adapt to their new environment'.

It means their 'heartbeat and breathing will be better controlled' and there is a wealth of evidence that suggests babies held in skin-to-skin contact are less stressed by the birth process.

Unicef's advice states: 'We know that babies who have spent an hour in skin contact are significantly less stressed after the birth experience - this means their breathing and heart rate are more stable, they cry less, and when they start to feed, they digest their food better.

'A mother's chest area is significantly warmer than other parts of her body - ready to welcome her new baby and prevent them from cooling down - which is a significant risk.

'Your baby has been lovely and warm in your uterus - at around 37 degrees, whereas the labour room will be significantly cooler, and he is wet – it’s like getting out of the swimming baths, you need to get dry and warm quickly.'

Meanwhile Caroline Davey, chief executive of the premature baby charity, Bliss, echoed the importance of skin-to-skin contact.

She said it is 'an essential part of family-centred care and should be part of the care that all babies receive'.

Ms Davey added: 'Evidence shows that it can help to regulate the baby’s heartbeat, lower their stress levels and can play an important role in improving the positive outcomes for premature babies.’