Where does your hospital complete the first bath

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I am doing a project and just want to get a concensus on how long after birth and where the first bath is done. for instance in labor and deliver, nursery or post partum?

I have no real input, but maybe some insight.

After the birth of my daughter, with mom settled in her room and visitors arriving, I called the nursery and asked if my daughter could be brought over. The nursery was apparently very busy, so the nurse there asked if I would like to come over and give my daughter a bath so she could come to my wife's room.

I went over, and was given a quick briefing. [i explained to the nurse that I knew how to do this with big people -though it had been a while.] It turned out to be a pretty neat experience. I got some teaching and it was nice to be part of the team.

The post-partum unit is, rightly so, mostly about caring for the mother and helping her recover and bond. In that, I found (been there three time) the Dads often get lost in the mix. The first bath was a nice way to get off the bench and get in the bonding game.

Best to all,

Pete Fitzpatrick

RN, CFRN, EMT-P

Writing from the Ninth Circle

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that is actually what i am doing I have lots of research as to how soon a bath can be completed but not a lot on if it can wait for bonding. The world health organization actually recommends that newborns not be bathes for 24 hours and at the minimum 6 hours. There is also no evidence that a baby needs to be bathed as long as the obvious blood is wiped off the vernix actually helps the baby warm itself and is antimicrobic.

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Specializes in Community, OB, Nursery.

In the hospital where I had my son (not where I work now), they let us bond etc. for about an hour, took him to the nursery and gave him his bath after 2 temps above 98F. They wouldn't let us bring the baby into my PP room before his bath because he would've been considered 'biohazard.' :madface: Didn't have the nerve to ask what they thought my lochia was....

Where I am now, mom & babe get bonding time for about an hour, L/D gets a couple sets of vitals, and bring babe to nursery for bath while mom turns over to PP. Usually our turnover is pretty quick - we're usually able to get them in & out in about 1.5 hours. We've been working making this even quicker, or going to completely rooming-in (which has been met with much opposition :().

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We tend to be frustrated. Many of our mothers don't want skin to skin; they don't want to hold a "dirty" baby. Also, we have quite a few late pretermers who get cold so easily, need heel sticks, frequent vital signs, etc. Plus, our nurses are so busy after a delivery (sending cord gases, putting placenta away, cleaning up, postpartum checks, keeping an eye on another patient, paperwork)- we get anxious about having to be responsible for a transitioning newborn. There has to be a better way.

Oh- to answer the question, babies are given their first bath in the nursery after temperature stabilization.

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Specializes in Critical Care.

Not an OB nurse just a mom of 9 months.

What they did for us was, I got to hold my son for about an hour or so, then he went into the warmer in the labor room and had VS done, bath done and once he was cleaned, Dad got to hold him until we were moved to our PP room (at 11 at night). While the move occured he went to the nursery and once we were settled in, he came back for the duration, with the occassional exception of pediatrician exam, hearing exam, circ, and picture taking. All in all, he was out of our room for about 2 hours total in 36 hours. He did have a slight problem holding his temp, but the nurses just told us to keep him swaddled well and his little cap on.

Dad did his next "first "bath in the room with the nurses teaching him (I have three others, so I knew the routine). that was something that Daddy was thrilled with doing as he felt that he was being included in the care.

tvccrn

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Specializes in ob; nicu.

We wait at least two hours after birth. The baby has to be warm and clinically stable. This lets the vernix soak in. This is for c-sections and vag deliveres. We let the parents have bonding time and mom gets in a good feeding (breast or bottle). If a c-section we take the baby to mom as soon as the mom and baby are able. If mom wants to breastfeed, and baby is stable we take baby to recovery room to breastfeed, return and check temp, then do bath.

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We complete the first bath on admission to the newborn nursey IF the baby is stable and has a normal rectal temp.

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Specializes in OB.

I work in a small hospital. For a vag delivery, baby goes on mom's chest and when she's ready the baby nurse takes baby to warmer, does assessment, meds, etc. then the bath all right in the room.

For a c-section baby stays in OR with mom the whole time, baby gets a bath in an area right outside the OR.

We have to have a temp. of 98.0 to bathe the baby.

I have a problem with bathing baby's so soon because the research shows that they nurse better if they do so before they are bathed, and in my limited experience, I have found this to be true.

I often will fib and say the baby's temp. is 97.9 so that I can give baby back to mom and get him/her latched on. Then I will come back later and give the bath.

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Specializes in L&D.

For lady partsl delivery it's done in the patient's room. For cesarean delivery it's done in the nursery.

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Specializes in NICU.

Most of our babies are bathed after mom has been transferred to her pp room, usually about 2 hours after delivery. We don't have a newborn nursery. C/S moms are recovered in OB pacu, with baby close by. Baby usually travels to mom's room on her chest. If we have any reason to continue recovery of the infant (low temp, tachypnea, hypoglycemia), we take it to the NICU for up to 4 hours.

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I just wanted to say how impressed I am with some of these posts.....not regarding baths but how much emphasis is put on bonding. "baby usually travels to mom's room on her chest"- wow! & to think 8 yrs ago I had to nearly wrestle my baby away from the nurses & sign a million papers to "room-in"

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That is awesome!!! I totally believe in the non separation concept. I love putting the baby skin to skin on the daddy after the bath. Some dads are reluctant to take their shirts off, but once that little one is skin to skin on them ... there's no letting go! They often thank me afterwards. We get lots of good pictures too.

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