A Florida mom's viral birth video shows the power of a mother's touch.
Victoria Macias of Tampa gave birth to her daughter Elissia Rae in November.
The delivery was an emergency cesarean section that Macias said resulted in the newborn requiring nearly 10 minutes of care from doctors and nurses before she was brought over to meet her mom.
When that first meeting happened, Elissia was soothed instantly by her mom.
In a video Macias shared on social media, Elissia stops crying and appears to be soothed once her lips touch Macias’s cheek.
"It was just so beautiful," Macias told "Good Morning America" of meeting Elissia, her first child. "I feel like words can't even describe it."
Doctors say crying after birth is a very important sign that an infant can breathe on their own, as it helps open up their lungs to remove the amniotic fluid that is naturally present when they are born.
Macias said she didn't fully realize the impact she had on calming Elissia until she watched the video of the moment later on post-delivery.
"I knew how I felt in the moment, but I didn't realize that you could see the way that she felt too," Macias said. "I'll literally remember it for a lifetime."
Research has shown there are numerous benefits of skin-to-skin care, defined as the practice of placing infants in direct skin contact with their mothers or other caregivers.
It can help reduce crying in babies by helping the baby’s body self-regulate, stabilizing the heartbeat and breathing patterns, and reducing pain. Skin-to-skin care can improve milk production by the mother and is associated with a longer duration of breastfeeding, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics.
The AAP recommends skin-to-skin care -- also defined as chest-to-chest -- for all newborns and mothers for at least the first hour after birth, when possible.
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