The biological significance of skin-to-skin contact and maternal odours.
Infant-mother bodily contact is believed to be the species-typical pattern of immediate postpartum child care. Mothers and newborns engage in mutually beneficial interactions. Maternal odours stimulate breastfeeding activity and are implicated in individual recognition.


CONCLUSIONS
Skin-to-skin contact and exposure to maternal odours facilitate infants' adaptation to the early postnatal environment.
Porter
R H
RH
UMR 6175 INRA-CNRS, Physiologie de la Reproduction et des Comportement, Nouzilly, France. porter@tours.inra.fr
D001942:Breast Feeding / Q000523:psychology; D003448:Crying / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D018730:Infant Behavior / Q000523:psychology; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D009034:Mother-Child Relations; D009035:Mothers; D009812:Odorants; D012867:Skin; D012903:Smell / Q000502:physiology; D013391:Sucking Behavior; D014110:Touch; D014796:Visual Perception