Adorable photo of father and son with newborn twins shows the magic of skin to skin contact
Photo via Facebook
A heartwarming photo of a dad and son holding their family’s latest additions is going viral.
The photo, originally posted on Facebook in Swedish by Forældre og Fødsel, was picked up on the NINO Birth’s Facebook page and has been shared more than 25,000 times.
It shows a dad holding a tiny newborn twin against his bare chest and leaning up against him is his son, doing the same thing with the other twin.
“Skin to Skin Contact is not ‘new,’ but Sweden certainly leads the way in making this care family-friendly even for very tiny babies,” the post explains. “I love this picture of big brother helping his dad care for the twins!”
"Revolutionary and innovative practices in Uppsala, Sweden. Children of 700 grams [1.5 pounds] can be skin to skin on the parent’s chest instead of the incubator.”
Skin to skin contact, also called Kangaroo Care, has long been touted as a way for parents to bond with their newborn – but the heath benefits are backed up by science, especially for preemies.
According to Swedish professor Uwe Ewald, it regulates a premature baby’s body temperature more effectively than an incubator, and also promotes better breathing and quicker weight gain for premature babies.
And, according to the Facebook post, “research shows that parents bacterial flora - compared with hospital bacteria - reduces the risk of serious infections in these delicate children.”
Pretty cool – not to mention extremely adorable.
