Give Mom And Baby A Moment In The Golden Hour

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The ‘golden’ hour is the time just after the sun rises or soon after the sun sets. During this hour, the sun’s rays are soft and golden. Nature in the golden hour looks calm, peaceful and a lot more beautiful than when the sun is at its peak. While the golden hour in nature is absolutely a divine treat to the senses, the golden hour of childbirth is also one of a kind! This hour is described as the time that a mother and her newborn child get to bond with each other sans any disturbance. Just as a soft golden glow kissing all that falls on its way is an experience beyond words, the feeling of holding one’s child close to your being is an experience that is difficult to express.

Often the ‘golden’ hour is given a miss and somehow the significance of this bonding has not been given the kind of importance that it deserves. The golden hour isn’t a priority or sometimes it isn’t even a part of a gynaecologist’s checklist. Most often the medical staff cuts the umbilical chord and takes the baby to clean and weigh. The paediatricians present get active as soon as the baby lands on earth and they get busy checking the baby’s overall well-being. The family rushes in to welcome the newborn and the entire attention is focussed on the new arrival rather than the mother. Albeit the birth of a child is nothing but a matter of sheer ecstasy for every mother, she feels depressed and deprived if she doesn’t get that ‘golden’ hour with her little bundle of joy.

In This Article

From The Mum’s Eye

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Pregnancy and childbirth are two life-changing events in a woman’s life. Right from the day she learns that she has a baby inside, her world shifts its focus within and she bonds instantly and effortlessly with that bunch of cells growing rapidly inside her. Childbirth is tough as a woman undergoes a lot of pain and discomfort, giving birth to a child is often dubbed as a brand-new life for a woman. It is hard to imagine the emotional, physical and mental state of a woman who braved the painful birthing process and is yet deprived of the first glimpse and touch of her child. Interestingly and not surprisingly this hour is essential for the health of the newborn as well. Curious to know more about the benefits of this unperturbed mother-child bonding time? Read on to know more.

Benefits Of The Golden Hour

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According to NCBI, a mother and her child have a physiological need to be together soon after the birth and the times that follow. Keeping a mother and her child together soon after delivery is a healthy practice to adopt. Immediate and unperturbed skin-to-skin contact for all medically stable mums and babies is highly recommended and this is regardless of the nature of childbirth and feeding preferences. The rise of oxytocin levels during the ‘magical hour’ or the ‘sacred hour’ aids in mother-child bonding, drop in stress levels for both mother and the child and helps the newborn to adapt to this new way of life. Experts say that an absence of this golden hour would suppress a newly born baby’s inherent protective behaviour making attachment to the mother and breastfeeding tough. Separating a baby from her mother at the time of birth wreaks havoc on the mother’s health too, she finds it difficult to cope with the separation anxiety and is very likely to feel less attached to her newborn (1).

Just as a new mother finds it hard to contain her excitement to see her little one, the child too craves for his/her mother. Separating the mother and child soon after the birth is not a good practice and must be shunned immediately to make way for healthier birthing practices. If you are planning a baby or are already on the family way, make sure nothing stops you from enjoying this serene and unhindered moment of bliss as you get the first glimpse and touch of your child and feel that soft, warm and golden glow filling up every part of your being.

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