Jeanette, I also attended a lecture by a physician who discussed the "benefits" you mentioned. In fact, she said that a baby's entire central nervous system is regulated by skin-to-skin contact at birth. The vagal nerve is stimulated by the baby's suckling motions at the breast -- this "sets" a stable cardiac rhythm. As I understand it, babies who have skin-to-skin contact at birth, and who nurse during the first few hours, have systems that are much more "mature" than infants who don't have this contact. Furthermore, the lecturer said, when this difference was first studied the researchers wondered what was "wrong" with the breastfed infants... (Another example of the "normal" being seen as a "benefit") I, too, would be interested in the references -- since I quote this info all the time! Margery Wilson, IBCLC