In my early days (late 70s) I was obcessively concerned about newborn heat loss. I did not trust the design as I do now. I thought there was a major design flaw....head too big, not enough brown fat. Now we know about sarcolipin muscle fibers heating in the absence of movement and the fact that brain cooling is a good thing and quite therapeutic for brain damaged or compromised babies. It makes more and more sense the more I learn. Now, as concerned as I was about newborn thermoregulation, I never hatted babies.....I always knew that the mamma needed to sniff her newborns head and that a hat would interfere with that. I just did not know as much as I do now about how a hat would interfere in a lot more than just a moms innate desire to smell her baby. The limbic system is WAITING for that reconnection cue brought to it by the amazing olfactory system. CHECK ....this is our baby. Uterus you may now release the placenta and stop the bleeding. MOM love your baby up. Mothers and babies are desperate for and deserving off their full reconnection process. It is chemistry. It is normal. Lets stop screwing up normal. But what about cold babies? skin to skin with mamma....nothing better....nakey (both)....cover them both if you want but do NOT put anything between them. Warm the room in anticipation.....Michel Odent talks about preventing hemorrhage that way....warm mother....and he says the one piece of equipment a midwife needs is a space heater. The Cochrane reviews and other data points to the fact that hatting does NOT regulate core temp of babies, may interfere, and that skin to skin is far better. Speaking of cold, did you see the recent link I posted about a baby who was presumed to be dead, was refrigerated and put in the morgue, but was alive? That is an extreme example, but we need to put this in perspective. A newborn baby, unless born on the tundra, is a lot more adept at survival of the switch from internal environment and external environment than we give them credit. And in the presence of his mamma, and on her chest, he has EXACTLY what he needs....and is NOT going to have cold stress unless WE interfere. Another consideration is that the hat interferes in the delicate unmoulding of the babys head.So there is not ONE good reason to put a hat on a baby.....and many to NOT hat a baby. email aamioptions@gmail if you are interested in being part of our online No Hatting Chatting or Patting class
Posted on: Tue, 14 Oct 2014 23:14:44 +0000
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