WBAMC makes bonding moment possible for women who undergo C-sections

It is a special moment when a woman gets to hold her newborn baby for the first time, but for some mothers that experience is delayed when they deliver via cesarean section.

The first meeting is called skin-to-skin contact, where the baby is placed on the mother’s chest right after delivery.

William Beaumont Army Medical Center performed its first skin-to-skin contact after c-section on March 21.

“The benefit is that it causes a physiological stability. The baby feels better, mom feels better and it allows them to bond,” said Dr. Stacey Frazier, chief of inpatient pediatrics at WBAMC.

Frazier said babies are also likely to attach and breastfeed sooner.

Skin-to-skin contact is routine after a vaginal birth, but because a C-section takes place happens in an operating room, the mother’s health is sometimes at risk, she’s under anesthesia and the space is not as conducive to holding the baby.

Frazier said the operating rooms have been modified to help create a safer place for the infant.

Kristy Goldberg, 36, was the first mother to have skin-to-skin contact after her C-section at WBAMC when she gave birth to baby Kaleb.

It was a planned C-section and Goldberg spoke her doctors before the procedure.

Frazier said the hospital wants to make the option more readily available to expecting mothers. It’s also an effort to make WBAMC a baby-friendly accredited hospital.

“It was fantastic,” Goldberg said of the moment she held her baby.

The mother of three previously had a C-section and wasn’t allowed to hold her firstborn in the operating room.

“This time around it was really special because he got to stay with me the whole time,” she said.

“We all stayed together as a family and we got to bond.”

Goldberg said she felt nauseous because of all the medication that was given to her and Kaleb helped her feel better and calmed her down.

Frazier said skin-to-skin contact after a C-section will be an option only if it is a planned procedure and not an emergency.

“Given the opportunity to do it, it’s amazing for both the mother and the baby and it’s a really special time right after the baby is born,” Goldberg said.