What is babywearing?

In some cultures babies are worn nearly all their waking hours. Those babies nurse more often — and their mothers tend not to struggle with supply.

We don’t carry our babies as much here. But close contact and frequent nursing are what stimulate the hormones that make milk and keep your supply where you want it. So if you’re working on supply, more skin and more closeness is one of the simplest levers you have.

It matters for your baby’s development too. Newborn brains are growing at a remarkable rate, and contact with a caregiver — being held, being talked to — is part of how those connections get made.

Tummy time, on you

You can fold tummy time into all of this by letting your baby lie on your chest during the day. Being horizontal on you helps your baby’s head keep its round shape, which is harder when she spends most of her day on a flat surface.

Plenty of babies dislike tummy time at first. Almost none of them dislike lying on your chest.

Why skin to skin is worth the trouble

Do that same chest time skin to skin and you get more than closeness. It:

• Calms both of you
• Decreases crying
• Releases hormones that relieve stress and steady your baby’s temperature, breathing, heart rate and blood sugar
• Releases hormones that increase your milk supply
• Releases a hormone that lowers your own stress and supports your healing

That last one is the part mothers are rarely told. Holding your baby skin to skin isn’t only something you do for her — it’s doing something for you at the same time.

If you want to read more

Two sources we trust:

• Ask Dr. Sears on the benefits of babywearing
• La Leche League on babywearing