For World Breastfeeding Week we’re celebrating some of the great benefits of babywearing for breastfeeding mothers, babies and yes, for fathers too. Babywearing means more skin-to-skin time. So whether you wear your baby in a wrap on-the-go or practice skin-to-skin while lying down and relaxing, you and your baby can both reap great benefits from this simple exercise.
5 Reasons to Practice Babywearing With Your Breastfed Baby:
01. Holding your baby close to your chest helps stabilize the baby’s heart rate, body temperature and blood sugar levels.
02. Research shows that practicing skin-to-skin increases a nursing mother’s prolactin levels, which helps increase milk supply.
03. Babywearing makes breastfeeding easier. Babies are born with a heightened sense of smell, so when they’re positioned close to their mother’s chest, they have an easier time finding the nipple to breastfeed.
04. Skin-to-skin contact helps reduce stress in both mothers and babies.
05. Babies who are held skin-to-skin have better weight gain since it’s easy for them to breastfeed more often.
During the first few weeks of your baby’s life, practice skin-to-skin as often as possible. It can be done by simply placing your baby’s bare torso against yours anytime day or night, in or out of your wrap. There is no such thing as holding your baby too much and no specific age at which skin-to-skin is no longer recommended. Photography: Jackie Wonders: Mama: Krystal; Wrap: Baltic
