Saturday, March 5, 2016

Delaying Your Newborn's Bath

When I was in the hospital with Lenora they put a big bright sign over her crib that said, "BABY HAS NOT BEEN BATHED" like she was some type of diseased alien or something. Every time anyone came in to check her vitals they would remind each other to wear gloves because she was not bathed.  I understand them wanting to wear gloves, and it protects my baby anyways, but I think they certainly went overboard.  She came out pretty cheesy and I kept a close eye on my midwife to make sure she didn't wipe her down at all.  I personally waited three weeks before I gave my daughter her first bath, but even just waiting two days after birth is the best.


When a baby is born, they are covered in a white cheesy type coating.  This is called the vernix.  The vernix does a few wonderful things.  It acts as a natural antibacterial cream that is amazing at preventing a bacteria infection.  These are skin cells your baby has made when they were in your womb and it is awesome for their skin.  It not only provides them with gorgeous skin, but it boosts their immune system as well.

There are some hospitals that ask to bathe the baby before they even go to the parents.  To me, this is absurd! Why would you want the first person to be the nurse that gets to hold your baby during the first few minutes of birth?  Babies need their moms and that bonding time is very important.  It is also linked to improved breastfeeding success and of course you won't need any chemical lotions on your baby since the vernix acts as a natural lotion.

It is best to delay baths at the hospital altogether.
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5 comments:

  1. CarynMarch 10, 2016 at 7:43 PM

    Good information that I wasn't aware of.

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  2. UnknownMarch 17, 2016 at 8:15 AM

    Wish I knew before I had my babies would've helped with my breastfeeding. And who knows what they'll do behind your back (unwanted medical procedures) while your innocent baby is at their mercy.

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    1. UnknownMarch 18, 2016 at 3:42 AM

      That is true. Thankfully my husband was around to make sure not too much happened. I requested they bathe with only water. I also had written down no eye ointment, but I saw pictures my husband took and in one of them, her eyelids were all goopy and glossy. For some things, you don't necessarily need to have it written down since you'll be able to decline things as they come up (sometimes multiple times when they don't get the hint). It's exciting to see home births becoming more and more common.

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    2. Lindsey LewandowskiMarch 18, 2016 at 6:10 AM

      It's so sad all of the corruption that happens in a hospital. I gave them my birth plan and made them look over it multiple times. I also told my husband to never take his eyes off of her just in case they tried to pull something. I was happy to that they were very willing to follow my orders with no questions. I think if I do ever have another birth though, I may do a home birth because it is pretty stressful not knowing how the medical staff is going to react to your orders.

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  3. .April 10, 2016 at 10:08 PM

    I have not bathed my three until well into the first month. The nurses at the hospital were very "glove-y" with my first one especially, I thought it was overkill but they were grossed out by it. Kept offering baths and I kept refusing them..;-)

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