The Power of Touch

I recently read an article about an Australian woman who prematurely gave birth to twins, and while one of the twins was fine, the other was pronounced dead after the doctors worked on him for twenty minutes. The mother unwrapped her baby from his blanket and held him against her skin. All the while, she cuddled, kissed and talked to him. Miraculously, after two hours of skin-to-skin contact from his mother, the baby began to breathe and open his eyes. There is a lot of talk about the importance and benefits that come from skin-to-skin contact between mothers and newborns, but this instance of healing power of touch is simply astonishing!

The Power of Touch

According to www.unicef.org, skin- to-skin contact between newborns and their mothers can have the following, and other additional benefits:
Calm and relax both mother and baby
Regulates heart rate and breathing in the baby
Stimulates digestion
Regulates temperature
[Provides] protection against infection

As They Grow

And I have a feeling that the importance of a loving touch never fades as your child grows up. For example, what does your child need when he scrapes his knee? A band-aid and a kiss on the boo-boo usually can wipe away the tears. And as adults, even we find comfort and a slight release of stress after being held in a good, long embrace. There is definitely something to be said about the power of touch.

Holding and snuggling your little ones is easy when they are babies, but as they become older, it may be challenging. Try setting aside special snuggle time each night before bed; a time when the two of you can cuddle up and read, sing or talk about your day. This may be a great routine for a few years, but older kids may present even more of a challenge. However, you can sneak around their “too cool” exterior and make it a point to give them a hug when they come home from school each day, and before they go to bed each night. As long as their friends don’t know about it, you should be fine. In short, just remember to hug and kiss your kids as much as possible, no matter how old they are, because it just may be good for their health.