The Golden Hour
- mydoulahannah
- Apr 25, 2023
- 3 min read
Updated: Apr 29, 2023
The Golden Hour seems like everyone is always talking about it… seriously, though, it is because it is so important for you and your baby to connect.
If you google “golden hour after birth” this is what will pop up “the first hour after birth when a mother has uninterrupted skin-to-skin contact with her newborn”. The golden hour is when your baby connects and bonds with you outside of the womb. Hospitals and researchers are found that there are SO many befits to the golden hour that they have started to protect that time. Most hospitals will put your baby on your chest directly after birth, but not all will protect those 60-120 minutes that you and your baby are bonding. So, that may be something that you need to advocate for yourself.
This article talks about the benefits, but here is a list for you!
Regulating baby’s body
Decreased stress in mom and baby
Breastfeeding is more successfully established
Probably a lot more!
This is how the baby experiences the golden hour
Birth cry
Relaxation
Awakening
Activity
Rest
Crawling
Familiarization
Suckling
Sleeping
You can totally wait until all of these are done to have the hospital staff do some of their tasks until after your baby has gone through all these stages. You can ask that they do their newborn assessment (APGAR score) while baby is on your chest.
The senses that baby is using to navigate the golden hour are, well all of them!
Smell
Your baby’s sense of smell is STONG and they are looking for that boob smell so that they can find your boob to start breastfeeding, which they do kind of army crawl up to your boob and latch. It isn’t a fast crawl, but they will find their way, just be patient and watch.
Touch
This is achieved, simply by having skin-to-skin after birth. Dad can put their hand on baby or be in bed with you shirtless to participate in the golden hour, but establishing breastfeeding is one of the most important things that happen in the golden hour so you get to be selfish with baby during this time.
Sound
Do you know who a baby has heard constantly throughout their life while they are in the womb? You. Your voice will bring them comfort as they enter into this bright and cold world. You and your husband’s voices will bring comfort to baby. It is so magical when you speak and your baby immediately is calmed.
Sight
Baby will be able to see within 8-10 inches of their eyes. Do you know what they prefer to look at? Faces, but mostly yours. They want to get to know who you are, who has been keeping them safe for the last 9 months, and who will continue to provide all of their needs.
After reading about all the magical things that you can experience in the golden hour, you might want to know how to protect the time with your baby. These are all if you and your baby are medically sound!
Have a low-intervention birth
Dim the lights when baby is born
Ask for the newborn assessment to be done while baby is on you
Request that all non-urgent tasks be done AFTER
Wait on showers and baths for you and baby, I would say 24 hours on both
Visitors can wait to see baby as long as YOU want them to
Protecting the golden hour is a great way to practice putting up boundaries that you will continue to put up with others as a parent to protect your baby. Definitely check out this video for more information on the golden hour and breastfeeding!
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