The Golden Hour

My Golden Hour with my baby daughter

I will never forget the "Golden Hour" that I spent with my baby girl. After I conceived her, I got to spend 1 hour with my Baby Eden away from any distractions and people.The feeling was unforgettable! The first hour is a crucial time because the baby just entered this world knowing nothing more than what was inside the womb. The bonding between mother and baby was unbelievable and getting that skin-to-skin contact allowed me to communicate with my baby on a whole different level. Research shows that getting that skin-to-skin contact with mother and baby immediately after birth helps solidify critical brain development to complete the growth of intricate sensor's in the newborn's brain. How I see it is my baby just enter a big and scary world, the sense of touch from a mother is just soothing and calming to come out to.

Skin-to-skin contact with my baby

This was one of the most important reason why I chose to deliver at Santa Monica/UCLA Hospital. I simply believed in what they stood for (i.e. Golden Hour=kick everyone out of the room, it's just you and the baby, skin-to-skin contact, etc). Taking the maternity tour of SM Hospital a month before the due date, I was surprised by the remodeling they did in their L&D department. The rooms were private and quite large. The nurses were extremely nice. We saw a couple who was going to be delivering soon and they seemed calm. That's when I knew that I could see myself and Jonathan delivering here. Also, SM Hospital is so dear to me because of the numerous hours that I spent in this hospital volunteering for the CareExtender Program. During postpartum, I actually had two different CareExtender students come into my room and ask me politely if I need water or anything. It's so nice to be in the receiving end :)


Every minute that I'm with her, I feel like I'm in the golden moment. She is my precious angel and she has totally changed for the better!