After delivery baby and mother (Maternal care) is most important as the oxytocins is crucial for the balancing of the brain, physiology and emotional responses of the baby to subside. Interferences from external source can cause an imbalance (Levin et al).
So how long should hospital staff leave the full term baby (third trimester) with its mother in circumstances of a 'normal' vaginal delivery so that the balancing of the brain with oxytocins can occur. Can we ascertain the degree of pain or discomfort the infant endures at this time? Research indicates several hours or until baby feeds.
We know that it is important for a baby to gasp it's first air to the lungs and this is followed often by an infants first cry. However does this signify pain? Or just discomfort of the change of environment and the natural human response to needs being met.
A third trimester baby born by Caesarian section has much more external input not only for the infant but mother also: thus produces many questions. Does this unbalance the neonatal infant and the mothers natural chemicals that calm baby? Is the impact reduced if delivered and given to mother promptly? How much external input is too much? When does this affect the unbalancing of the infants brain or flood with cortisols?
An infant in distress is known to be flooded with cortisols and hormones. We know calming down for baby can be done with the maternal voice and skin to skin (touch): this creating a chemical balance of opioids and oxytocins flooding and calming distress responses of cortisols and hormones.
Unfortunately the more the medical intervention the more it makes it stressful for baby, some intervention is necessary to secure the survival of Infant and Mother; ventouse, electrodes monitoring, forcefully turned ie breach, forceps (cited in Walker 2012)
Often these causing injuries; bruising of the heads, dislocations this causing distress and pain to Infant.
Leaving the security of a womb designed for comfort and needs of a Baby to that of bright light, loud noises, suction, wiped, handled can be a shock to the sensory system causing discomfort and disruption of those previously mentioned balancing chemicals. Does this bring pain to the delivered baby? Or just rupture in the sensory system which on return to the mother is repaired?
Can this disruption be reduced or avoided by the medical intervention being done on Mother and weighed afterwards? This would need much further research.
References:
N/B Where possible I have referenced, however the knowledge is over a long period of time, as references come to light I will add.
Levin et al.
Walker. P. 2012
