The Golden Hour: Making The Most Of Your Baby’s First 60 Minutes In The World

Of course, after the long and exhausting process of giving birth, you’ll want to snuggle with your new baby, soak in the sweet baby smell, touch their soft skin and hair, and just bask in the great love you feel. This first hour of life is a precious window of time for both you and your little human, and there are a few things to keep in mind to make sure your baby’s transition into this world out of its protected womb environment is as smooth and as peaceful as possible. 

Your baby is used to a protected, perfectly controlled, and nurturing environment in your womb – he or she never felt hunger or cold or pain because your body automatically attended to all those needs. Now, your baby is hearing harsh sounds, unfamiliar voices (birth assistants and health providers), feeling cold and hungry, and all it can do in response to these events is cry. Crying is your baby’s means of communication (read more here on the five cries of a baby). This first 60-minute period, called the golden hour, is all about you bonding with your baby while they’re settled on your skin, letting them feel loved and protected, and starting to build their immune system. 

Skin-to-Skin Contact

You’ve probably heard that skin-to-skin is important for newborns, but did you know that it helps boost your baby’s immunity? Uninterrupted skin-to-skin contact with the mother – or with the father, if circumstances prevent the mother from being capable – makes the baby feel secure and regulates their blood pressure and internal temperature. Not to mention, you’re getting that glorious oxytocin rush and your serotonin levels are high and feeling happy! 

Hold the baby as much as possible in the first couple hours of their life. If you’re able to hold the baby for a good hour after birth, then great! After the first hour, you can swap holding your bundle of joy with your husband, instead of putting the baby in the crib. If you’re not able to hold the baby that long, if circumstances prevent this or if there are medical complications, have your husband hold the baby, doing skin-to-skin as well. If, for some reason, your baby has to be kept in the NICU for a period, have your husband go hold the baby’s hand and talk softly to the baby so he or she has some loving physical contact and hears a familiar voice (which brings us to the next point). 

Voice Recognition 

Your baby actually hears your voice and the father’s voice while in the womb. Crazy, right? Right after birth and during the skin-to-skin, you can talk to the baby in soft, gentle tones so your baby hears a familiar voice in the midst of the new and probably startling sounds and can gain comfort from it. If you had a favorite song or lullaby you played to your baby-in-the-womb while pregnant, you could eventually play it on low volume for your baby to recognize (this might really help once the baby gets older and fussier around nap times!). 

Breastfeeding

Breastfeeding is hands-down the best way to feed your baby, if you can, and especially in the newborn stage. If possible, unless a medical emergency requires otherwise, nurse your baby right away after he or she has been cleaned and laid on your chest for skin contact. Nursing boosts the baby’s immunity and gives them all the nutrients they need to grow and thrive. 

Make sure you’re able to eat some nutritious, protein-packed food after you give birth, so your baby gets that rush of nutrients and vitamins right away. Plus, you just pushed a human being into the world, so treat yourself to that sushi and your favorite smoothie, mama! Or if you feel like steak or a burger, have someone bring you the real deal that’s organic and even gourmet-style for better quality (like I said, birthing momma here deserves a treat). Good nutrition is critical; feed yourself nutritious, organic snacks and small meals every few hours after birth and during your postpartum period to help your body recharge and restore the spent energy, as well as provide a consistent milk supply for your mini you!

Eye Contact

This may be kind of obvious, but once you’re settled and the nursing is done, just stare at your baby and try to make eye contact if their eyes are open. This triggers an emotional awakening in your baby’s brain and increased bonding with the mother/parents. The infant can see expressions on your face and begin to make connections between expressions and feelings, and they then start learning how to communicate and regulate their own feelings. Only a few hours after birth, babies will start having an intense interest in their mothers’ facial expressions. Babies start linking emotional responses to voice and facial expressions, as well as exploring the space around them by following eye gaze. You should continue to stare at your baby, especially in the following weeks after birth, and hold your gaze when your baby stares at you, so your baby can start learning to mimic expressions. 

Closing Thoughts

The golden hour isn't for worrying about whether or not something didn’t go as planned during the birth, or snapping picture-perfect photos and updating everyone you know about your baby's arrival. This is a time you'll never get back, so let your focus be on baby and building your connection. Just keep to these four simple steps when interacting with your sweet, new baby and give yourself a pat on the back. You did it, mama!

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