If we are fortunate, we begin as babies, skin to skin, with our mother’s touch guiding us through the very first moments of life outside of the womb. There is even a name for these special moments.  The Sacred Hour is the uninterrupted skin-to-skin contact between mother and child, immediately after birth.  This power of touch, when presented to us so early in our existence, introduces an important part of lifelong, nurturing communication.  In this first hour of life, the values of this skin-to-skin connection are numerous.  Some of them are: stability of the heart rate and respiration, optimal brain development and physiologic stability.

These benefits and others are outlined in an article by Raylene Phillips MD/ BCLC FAAP which was referenced on more than half a dozen websites as I researched this subject.  I was surprised by the amount of data I found regarding skin-to-skin touch.  Perhaps this is because it is so essential to a person’s quality of life.

In my experience, the touch of a hand upon another person has the capacity to show support, kindness, empathy and compassion.  It can also express many other feelings.  It is a powerful way of communicating, often felt beyond the power of words.  That’s why we all need lots of warm, accepting, touch throughout our lives.

When caring for someone who is ill, a person often checks for fever by placing the back of the hand on that person’s forehead.  Children link their pinky fingers within a special friendship.  The examples of skin-to-skin contact are seemingly endless.

Unfortunately, I have found, that perhaps the time we may lack caring touch the most, is as we age.  I have worked in retirement facilities, where I have been in direct contact with people who do not have the frequent company of loved ones.  When reaching out to hold a hand that clasps mine tightly, and with deep intensity as I have experienced, the message to me is clear.  We NEED skin-to-skin interaction to have good quality of life.  In this day and age, may I suggest, that in the words of a Diana Ross hit, that we all look for ways to “Reach out and touch somebody’s hand.  Make this world a better place, if you can.”