Timing of newborn bath

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so everyone i am working on a project and i am just curious when does eveyone complete their initial newborn bath???

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Specializes in Very well rounded..
so everyone i am working on a project and i am just curious when does eveyone complete their initial newborn bath???
We had a rule that the baby's temp had to be 97.9 or > for one hour to get a bath. The baby can actually lose a degree or two, yes under the warmer, while you are doing ID bands and footprints, vitals, etc. Then the Mom has to bond with the baby, maybe even breastfeed, and don't forget all the visitors and pictures. It can easily be 4-5 hours before the baby is bathed.
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Specializes in OB.

We hold the first two hours sacred for skin-to-skin with mom and baby. After that the baby is bathed whenever it's convenient depending on the nursery admitting nurse's workload, and assuming the parents have agreed to a bath.

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Specializes in labor & delivery.

We do 4 hours of transition with vitals, skin-skin, and breastfeeding. After the last vitals are done at 4 hours, the baby is usually bathed (in post-partum). The main reason we delay is to make sure baby has breastfed if that is mom's choice. Our LC's say that once the baby has a bath, the smell they had at birth is gone and no longer stimulates them to nurse. It's funny because at other facilities in our system, the baby is bathed as soon as mom has had a few moments with him/her, while still in L&D recovering.

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Specializes in OR and Midwifery.

Wow, where I work in Australia we don't bath babies till they're 24 hrs plus. That way temps are stable, lots of skin to skin and babies get a few good breastfeeds. Apparently vernix plays an important role in stabilizing temps as well.

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Specializes in L&D/Maternity nursing.

we wait at least an hour after birth per our policy (so that mom can have a chance to breastfeed the infant first). However, I wait til the end of recovery for mom and baby, so somewhere aroudn the 2-3hour mark.

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This is so interesting! With both my children, (I had c-sections) the dr pulled baby out, showed me baby, baby was weighed and all that. Then, went to the nursery with dad and had bath. Then they joined me in recovery. I was really young when I had my first and didn't realize the importance of skin-to-skin bonding. No one even mentioned it to me while I was hopped up on pain killers! That is one thing I wish someone would have told me. With my second, we spent hours skin-to-skin.

Still a student and I hope to specialize in L&D and eventually become a CNM. This is definitely something I will mention to every new mommy.

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Specializes in Orthopedics/Med-Surg, LDRP.

We keep babies in L&D for 1-2 hours before going to the newborn nursery. They are bathed within an hour of getting there and gets the full head to toe assessment.

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Specializes in Pediatrics, High-Risk L&D, Antepartum, L.

Our babies have to be 4 hours old and have maintained the body temp for a bath. Now that doesn't mean at 4 hours we rush to do a bath but we won't do one any sooner. If 4 hours is at 2 am...it will generally wait. Our PP gals now do the first bath in the room with the parents...so doing it at a reasonable hour is important.

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Specializes in Community, OB, Nursery.

Policy says temps have to be >/= 97.8ax x2 consecutively before a bath can happen. Sometimes they'll stay nice and warm the entire 1-2 hours they're over in L&D, then when they get to mother/baby they're cold and have to warm back up. Sometimes parents want to delay bath (or forego it completely), which is also fine. We just mark the crib 'has not been bathed' and move on. Most babies get bathed within 3-4 hours, though.

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Specializes in OB.

Our babies have to have 2 good temps of 36.5 and above. they spend the first hr of life bonding then come to our nursery for bath and assessment then back to mom.

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If you don't mind me asking, is there any harm in not bathing a baby? I mean are there any risks or complications? If the new mom decides against it is that ok? If a mom decides against a bath is there a precaution of some sort that you would advise her about. I was snooping and was just wondering. I've had four children and I don't think I had skin-to-skin with any of them. :(

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