According to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), skin-to-skin contact (or kangaroo care) has many benefits, including:
Deep bonding between parent and baby
Better breastfeeding outcomes
Better infant weight gain
Less crying and more infant sleep
More stable breathing and heart rate
Studies show that skin-to-skin contact is especially important in the first hour after birth, but can provide benefits when it’s continued throughout the first weeks and months of a newborn’s life.