By Isabelle Kirk, data reporter

Almost 30% of mothers at Darent Valley Hospital missed out on skin-to-skin bonding with their newborn babies, NHS figures show.

Immediate contact has “lasting benefits”, according to experts, including protecting babies from infection and encouraging them to breastfeed.

But 1,250 mothers at the trust last year missed out on this important bonding time, equating to 28%.

The Royal College of Midwives said maternity wards should “make every possible effort for babies to have skin-to-skin contact with their mothers within one hour of birth”.

The process involves putting the newborn on its mother’s bare chest and covering both with a warm blanket. This encourages the baby’s natural instinct to breastfeed.

The first breastfeed is particularly important for babies because it contains colostrum, nicknamed “liquid gold”.

Breastfeeding counsellor at parents’ charity the National Childbirth Trust Fran Bailey said: “Colostrum is like breast milk, but much thicker and creamier.

“We call it ‘baby’s first immunisation’, because it’s full of antibodies. There’s only around 5ml of it but it’s really good for helping to protect babies’ tummies.”

At the Dartford and Gravesham NHS Trust, 72% of babies had maternal or donor breast milk for their first feed, slightly lower than the national average of 74%.

Data on first feeds were recorded for 4,415 newborns, including pre-term babies. In total, 4,855 babies were born at the trust last year.