Bathing a Newborn

Bathing a newborn to  cleanse the products of birth seems a logical choice, but there are actually many reasons why you might choose to refuse a formal bath.


  1. A newborn's skin is EXTREMELY sensitive, not just to temperature, but to touch as well.  Think of this:  before its birth, the only touch the baby knew was the gentle waves of amniotic fluid that swirled around it, caressing its body.  What a contrast to the scrubbings of a washcloth.  Again, this is a prime opportunity to overload the baby's sensory system.

  2. The vernix which coats a baby's skin serves to soften, moisturize, and protect from infection.  It can be gently massaged into the skin to provide long-lasting natural moisture which cannot be duplicated by any man-made options.

  3.  A bath will lower the baby's body temperature which may then prompt hospital staff to insist on placing the baby in a warmer until its temperature rises sufficiently.  It'd be too risky to allow skin-to-skin contact with mom, wouldn't it?

Be aware that if you do choose to delay bathing your newborn or refuse a formal bath entirely, hospital staff may treat your baby as a biohazard.  In the case of a homebirth, this is a non-issue.  It's also important to note that in the case of a waterbirth, the water temperature should be warm enough to sustain the baby's temperature.



References

Moore ER, Anderson GC, Bergman N. Early skin-to-skin contact for mothers and their healthy newborn infants. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2007, Issue 3. Art. No.: CD003519. DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD003519.pub2.

McCall EM, Alderdice FA, Halliday HL, Jenkins JG, Vohra S. Interventions to prevent hypothermia at birth in preterm and/or low birthweight infants. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2008, Issue 1. Art. No.: CD004210. DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD004210.pub3.


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