The Sunrise Health Region/Yorkton Tribal Council's Skin2Skin Collaborative is looking to promote breastfeeding and infant bonding this fall with an unusual photo contest for families of newborn babies.
The collaborative will award prizes of $100 to five winning photos depicting skin-to-skin contact between babies up to six months of age and their caregivers.
The inspiration for the contest comes from a similar competition held by the World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action to mark World Breastfeeding Week, says Sunrise lactation consultant Heidi Russell.
"We want to raise awareness of skin-to-skin contact of babies with their moms or with family members - what the benefits are.
"Right after birth," continues Russell, "if a baby is put skin-to-skin with mom it helps regulate their vitals, it helps regulate their heart rate, their respiration, their temperature, even their glucose sugars."
According to research, benefits to areas such as a child's self-esteem can continue for years as a result of early contact.
The Skin2Skin photo contest calls for photos of "a naked baby, except for a diaper and a hat for comfort, on the caregiver's bare chest."
"It doesn't just have to be moms - it can be dads, it can be grandparents, anybody who's comfortable doing it," says Russell.
Entries can be submitted electronically to [email protected] until October 14.
"We'll be using the submitted photos for educational purposes as part of a new initiative," says Russell.
Full contest details are available online at sunrisehealthregion.sk.ca
.JPG;w=120;h=80;mode=crop)
