The Golden Space
When we talk about the first hour/s after birthing babies we often talk about the golden hour and in the context of uninterrupted skin to skin, birthing the placenta, initiating breastfeeding and that initial time of bonding with your baby. What we are doing is failing to talk to mothers about how crucially important skin to skin is in not only that first hour, but the twenty-four to seventy-two hours following birth and beyond.
We need to emphasise that skin to skin is only part of what we should be referring to as “The Golden Space”, not just the golden hour. It is the days and weeks and even months of the fourth trimester that are vital for mama and baby, the hormones and imprinting on each other.
The initial moments after birth should be quiet, the room should remain dim, voices kept low, interruptions minimal or non-existent even better. These moments are pivotal and about meeting your baby for the first time, smelling their sweet head, taking some quiet moments to process your journey through birth and allowing yourself to land. Your baby will do the breast crawl and begin to root around looking for the nipple and being undisturbed in this space and allowing the orchestration of hormones to work their magic will encourage your placenta to birth physiologically, just as you have birthed your baby in the same way.
Your new baby rooting around is less about them being hungry when they are first born and more about the hormone synthesis that occurs to release your placenta from your body for its birth. This time also initiates the beginning of the breastfeeding relationship which is more accessible with continuous skin to skin. Newborns have in-built survival instincts which are optimally supported by skin contact with their mother and are vital for the success of breastfeeding. When a newborn baby is swaddled and separated from their mother it can trigger their freeze/survival response and rather than seeking breastfeeds they will sleep to conserve their energy for survival and protection from predators. This can often be mistaken for a “recovery sleep” following birth and demonstrates the importance of uninterrupted skin to skin in those first hours and days.
Newborn babies require free and frequent access to the breast, especially but not only, in the first two weeks following birth when the hormone prolactin, responsible for milk production, is at its highest. Frequent nipple stimulation and feeding, sometimes as often as every 45 - 90 minutes, aiming for at least 8-10 feeds in a twenty-four-hour period will ensure optimal milk production.
The Golden Space exists irregardless of time. It is about more than just breastfeeding and a lot about new mothers, fathers and siblings bonding with their new baby, being able to land in this new realm and being held through the transitional period without outside noise and pressure. This space needs to be held for as long as the family desires.
Five tips to create the perfect golden space:
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Keep mama and baby skin to skin in bed for the first twenty-four to seventy-two hours with free and frequent access to the breast.
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Dim lighting, a warm nest, nourishing warm food and drinks being made and served to mama.
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Ask for one or two close support people to be on call if you need your partner with you holding your space. They can prepare food, play with siblings or hold space for them to be present in your space as they need, sit with you for company or emotional support.
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Organise a meal train (www.mealtrain.com) in your last few weeks of pregnancy so there are nourishing meals available for the family with no stress involved. Meal train allows you to input allergies/dislikes/meal preferences, drop off times and can be easily shared with friends and family who can also see what others are making so there are no double ups.
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Do not allow anyone into your space that could potentially interrupt the intimacy of those first few days and weeks. Landing and coming back from the birth portal will take time, sit in and relish this space, it is a magical time that you won’t get back.
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Intuition, personal experience and learned wisdom have me perpetually evolving as both a person and a birth keeper. The journey from maiden to mother is a transformative and a sacred rite of passage in which I am honoured to hold space for. I am enamoured by the mind body connection and its pivotal role during pregnancy, labour and birth.
I am based in Southern Adelaide on the Fleurieu Peninsula. I look forward to connecting with you over a cup of something warm.
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0400 661 483
Instagram: @fleurieubirth