On today’s episode we talk about the golden hour or hours. That scared and special time to be undisturbed with your baby after birth. We talk about what it is and why it’s important for you and your baby.
Join as we discuss:
Resources Mentioned:
Guide to out of Hospital Birth use code PODCAST20 for 20% off!
Looking for more? Check us out on Youtube & visit the blog for show notes and transcript
Connect:
Into the Labyrinth Birth Services
Brigitte- Instagram & Facebook
Free downloads:
Holistic Birth and Beyond Freebies
Into the Labyrinth Birth Playlist
Holistic Birth & Beyond’s Spotify
Looking for more? Check us out on Youtube & visit the blog for show notes and transcript
Connect:
Holistic Birth and Beyond, LLC
Into the Labyrinth Birth Services
Brigitte- Instagram & Facebook
On today’s episode we talk about the golden hour or hours. That scared and special time to be undisturbed with your baby after birth. We talk about what it is and why it’s important for you and your baby.
Join as we discuss:
Resources Mentioned:
Guide to out of Hospital Birth use code PODCAST20 for 20% off!
Looking for more? Check us out on Youtube & visit the blog for show notes and transcript
Connect:
Into the Labyrinth Birth Services
Brigitte- Instagram & Facebook
Free downloads:
Holistic Birth and Beyond Freebies
Into the Labyrinth Birth Playlist
Holistic Birth & Beyond’s Spotify
Looking for more? Check us out on Youtube & visit the blog for show notes and transcript
Connect:
Holistic Birth and Beyond, LLC
Into the Labyrinth Birth Services
Brigitte- Instagram & Facebook
Allison 0:16
Welcome back to the Holistic Birth Podcast. This is episode 18 and we're gonna be talking about the golden hour.
Brigitte 0:53
Yeah, very special and important.
Allison 0:56
And I mean, it's called golden hour, but it can be hours! It definitely could be extending beyond the hour. What is the golden hour, Brigitte?
Brigitte 1:06
Yeah, so the golden hour is immediately after the baby's born, they are put right on your belly or your chest. And there's so there's that skin to skin contact. And it really helps initiate breastfeeding and lactation helps regulate the baby's temperature. Also your temperature helps to prevent like postpartum hemorrhage helps your uterus shrink down. And yeah, also, there's delayed cord clamping that's also put into that too, which we just had an episode on. So and that was episode 17. So we'll link that but yeah, we talked about that. But yeah, those are it's basically just that and then you're given, you know, an hour or more just to kind of be with your baby and create that bond increases oxytocin, like all that good stuff. So yeah, it's really, really important.
Allison 1:53
It's a good like uninterrupted peaceful time. You can be with your baby as you've finally greeted them on the outside and it can be done during a vaginal birth, it can be done during a cesarean birth. The really the interruptions could be minor people coming in and just like, you know, listening to baby's heart or whatever, but yeah, it can be it can be pretty uninterrupted, just undisturbed.
Brigitte 2:18
Yep. Yeah. And there's you can also have it nice and quiet. Like, if you don't want a bunch of people talking or like, you know, me movement or anything like that. If you want to just kind of be left alone, that can be definitely done too.
Allison 2:29
Skin to skin, like you said was part of that. Having good like, direct, like skin contact is great. So if babies swallowed up or if you're, you still have like a bra or like some sort of gown on making sure that there's a good amount of surface area touching skin, the skin it's good for. Yeah, like we talked about, like regulating temperature, actually regulating like, like blood sugar levels, stuff like that. But it's a good time to take your baby in. A lot of people feel like they can't really get a good look at the face just yet. Because, you know, it all is just as all blurring together and an angle can be tricky. But yeah, it's good to feel that baby in your arms and kind of have that I did it moment, no matter how challenging the the road was you you did make it.
Brigitte 3:20
So yeah, advocating for Golden Hour is definitely something you can absolutely do. So if it's something that you're you know, very interested in, talk to your doula or your birth team about it, and they can certainly make sure that it is done for you. Allison, do you want to talk about like instances where maybe the Golden Hour can't happen? I mean, probably the obvious. But yeah, talking about that might be helpful for someone that does want it but if there's something going on that maybe they can or something?
Allison 3:50
I would say it's kind of similar to what we talked about delayed cord clamping and optimal cord closure in the last episode, Episode 17, we talked about the scenarios that might make it more challenging or might make it kind of not as much of a priority that obviously the benefits just like delayed cord clamping are, are wonderful for for that golden hour. But with with situations where maybe baby does need, like immediate care, they can do a lot while your baby is in your arms. So there's always that as an option, but if for some reason they do need to take baby away and like onto that warmer usually in the same room, then that might be something that would disrupt it, they could always bring baby back. I've had people were have clients of my my own that like maybe if the birthing person went through something that meant that they couldn't really do that golden hour with baby they then would give that time in a way to their partner or another support person so that there's that, that still that bonding moment that the baby and someone else in their life that loves and cares for them can do Um, but yeah, yeah, like that usually are the scenarios that make it tricky. And then if you are, if you are having a cesarean birth and sometimes just like transitioning like having someone else hold baby while you get swapped from the or bed to the, you know, your regular bed that will help will you back into your room? They'll hand baby back to you. But yeah, it's sometimes there's like interruptions like that.
Brigitte 5:24
Yeah, yeah, absolutely. Also, you know, it's doing skin to skin with your partner, like they can absolutely do that within that golden hour. So or, again, doesn't have to be an hour. It can be certainly go beyond that. So actually, as often as a question I get is like how as a doula is how long we like stay after the birth, because I think a lot of people think like, oh, they had the baby, and you just kind of leave, I'll see you later, you know. But we do actually stick around for that time to like help with breastfeeding support, or just make sure you know, if in case you have any questions or anything like that, so we are a part of that golden hour, but we do like, kind of hold that space. So you know, it's nice and quiet and make sure you're still getting advocacy around getting that golden hour.
Allison 6:05
And especially like if you're trying to be in the moment, which can be challenging because you've been off in labor, land, or birth land for however long, it's very hard to just suddenly bounce back and kind of come back to reality, so to speak, where you're in that very, like observant and like clear thinking clear communicating space, sometimes you're just needing to take it all in. And there's a lot of mixed emotions during that time I've seen Yeah, I think we probably both seen a lot of that. Sometimes there's excitement and joy. Other times it's like complete disbelief or awe. Yeah, I've had clients who just they've shared that they really felt like they kind of went numb. Yeah, they're just like, everything's so shock. Intense. Yeah. And it could be positive and, and maybe like, not so positive. But there are definitely a lot of emotions. And it can be hard to yet be in that logical space. So if there are things that you or your partner wanted to advocate for, that is a good time for relying on your doula or your partner to help chat with other people about what's important to you. Or even just getting things squared away in the room, like ordering food.
Brigitte 7:13
Yeah, a big one.
Allison 7:15
-and putting things back together. That's one of my favorite little like parts is if you know you're bonding and doing your thing and your partner's like looking longingly, "this is my family," everyone's all, you know, wonderful and cozy. I, you know, don't need to be elbowing to be in the space or you know, you don't have to, you know, pop the bubble every chance you get. So sometimes it's about being like the fly on the wall.
Brigitte 7:36
Yeah, usually I'd like back out yeah, just like let everything you know, everybody get in there and be able to do their do their thing, but also just, you know, take pictures. That's like a big thing they usually do is taking pictures that like instant. Yeah. So Yeah, cuz that's a very special moment, obviously. So yeah, taking these pictures, but yeah, just kind of, you know, taking a step back and being able to observe and, yeah, it's, it's good to do that too. Because then you could kind of see like, what is happening and observe if there might be something going on that you may not necessarily want or that kind of thing. So yeah.
Allison 8:07
So like, Yeah, any sort of pictures tidying food. I know if we've had like an essential oil diffuser out or Bluetooth speaker that had like, little too slow music or something like we will switch it up like yeah, it's about like, resetting the environment to then support that next chapter.
Brigitte 8:25
Yeah, yeah. So actually, I had a thought. So one thing that I see that does disrupt the golden hour a little bit is the fundal massage. So I don't know if we want to dive down that rabbit hole.
Allison 8:37
I think we had planned that for --
Brigitte 8:38
Did we? Oh okay.
Allison 8:40
We could touch on it a little bit. Please stay tuned, because we will talk more about that. Okay. But that that is something that can be a disruption. And I've had I mean, have you had clients, too, that will do the fundal massage themselves?
Brigitte 8:53
Yes. Yeah. So yeah, that's kind of what I wanted to get into. But we can again, I forgot that we were doing an episode on that. So we have so many topics like.
Allison 9:01
They overlap a lot. There's a lot, obviously all these links between them.
Brigitte 9:05
Yeah, everything is just connected, like our episodes like overlap each other in a way. So we try to like keep them separate. But they definitely overlap a little bit. But yeah, so yeah, I mean, we could get into that more on that next episode. But yeah, that's definitely there's some options as far as that goes. So we'll get more into that. But yeah, sorry. You know, we gave you a little teaser, but -- There's more coming on that stay tuned!
Allison 9:35
But yeah, that golden hour can be really beneficial for you for baby.
Brigitte 9:40
Yeah, absolutely. Yep.
Allison 9:41
And most of the time, it doesn't really need to have a whole lot of interruptions. I've had clients who were like, I want two hours solid. Great.
Brigitte 9:48
Yeah, yeah!
Allison 9:49
I've had others that 45 minutes and they're like, I need to eat with both of my hands. I'm done with my golden hour.
Brigitte 9:54
Yeah, yeah, it's really whatever you're comfortable with. And yeah, I think be like as long as it's within like what that within the hour ranges is really good. There's a lot of great benefits.
Allison 10:02
There's primetime there. Colostrum is usually coming in and it's a good time to kind of help help you feel more settled to. There's a lot of a lot of like stimulation things around you. So it's a good time to slow it down. And usually the room drastically changes from like, a minute or two after birth to like an hour later, the room gets cleared. There's like nobody else in there. There's no equipment. No, like crazy stuff going on. Like the monitors aren't beeping, and like, it's usually pretty quiet. And that's usually the time after like, an hour or two, when when the doula starts to notice it's almost our time to go. Yeah, yeah. Because it does feel like we're interrupting.
Brigitte 10:45
Yeah, interrupting intruding a little bit on family time. family bonding time.
Allison 10:49
I've had clients that I stayed a little bit longer because they need someone to like hand feed work total.
Brigitte 10:54
Yeah, sure. Yeah.
Allison 10:56
And then other times, it's, they just want like certain pictures once like most of the staff has, like left.
Brigitte 11:05
Yeah, I think it's just about really, I guess the biggest advice I would say about Golden Hour is just to be present. And just really, if you can, I mean, some people are just exhausted. You know, just staying present just being okay with wherever you're kind of at and then, you know, it's a processing time. So I usually never asked my clients like, oh, how was your birth? Like, immediately after how'd you feel about it? You know, it's I usually wait till like when I see them for their postpartum to ask because there is so much to process afterwards.
Allison 11:35
For sure, there is. There is a lot there. Maybe that's a whole other thing we could talk about, too, is some of the emotions that people feel about their birth. Sometimes there's I've seen some disappointment that it's over.
Brigitte 11:49
Yep, definitely.
Allison 11:49
I've seen a few that. I've seen people where they they are really just so relieved. Yeah. Or yeah, the thing is done. Like this perpetual pregnancy that was like 10,000 months long. But anything you're feeling during that golden hour? Just it's okay to feel it. It's okay to
Brigitte 12:09
Yeah, absolutely.
Allison 12:10
Toll into it.
Brigitte 12:11
Yeah, definitely. And that's why you have a doula there to help you out. We'll always, always put the doula in there. Just so beneficial. So. But yeah, so I think that's, that's about it about Golden Hour. It's pretty, pretty standard. Pretty simple. But of course, if you have questions definitely reach out to us. We're happy to answer anything regarding that. Or if you have a special situation or something like that. Yeah. So yeah, we're happy to answer that.
Allison 12:35
Yeah. And if you have any questions about scenarios, or anything like that, don't hesitate to reach out. It's, it can be standard practice in a lot of places so that's something you could always ask about ahead of time, like, yeah, how do you honor the golden hour? You know, and then it might, they might surprise you with how supportive and if it seems like it's not as familiar of a concept, then that could help prepare you too.
Brigitte 12:57
Yeah, definitely. Yeah. All right. Great. So thanks for listening and watching and we will definitely catch you next time.
Allison 13:04
Bye!