The “Golden Hour”
The first hour or two of your baby’s life are unlike any other. Your baby moves from depending on the placenta for its oxygen and nutrients to breathing, circulating blood, and eating on its own. During the first hour, research has shown that babies are brightest and most awake. This means that babies will be more likely to breastfeed well, and to get breastfeeding off to a good start by stimulating mom’s nipples to produce milk. In all babies, no matter the feeding method, the first hour is a great time to do skin-to-skin with parents to help colonize them with healthy skin bacteria, to help keep baby warm and calm, and to help baby regulate their temperature.
At STEGH, we value the first hour of baby’s life and how it can impact bonding, health, and feeding. We have a policy named “The Golden Hour”, which states that for the first hour of baby’s life (unless medically contraindicated) baby is to stay with mom and the birth partner; no other visitors. As soon as the umbilical cord has been cut, the baby will be placed skin-to-skin on mom's chest (provided that mom has indicated that she wants skin-to-skin and that both mom and baby are doing well).
Visitors are welcome to wait in our waiting room during this time, and are more than welcome to visit baby once the Golden Hour is through. We appreciate the patience of our visitors.