When/How can I bathe the baby?

[Ambivalent Dreams]

This is probably the dumbest question ever posted, but here goes...

I don't want the nursing staff to give my baby his first bath. I want to get in the tub and put him in there with me. Is there any reason why I can't do that? I was on a lot of drugs with DD and can't remember quite how it all went the first time she was bathed, but I'm thinking it was a sponge bath. It's okay to get the umbilical stump wet when he is a day or two old by putting him in the tub with me, right?

[MacKinnon]

Well, I think in a hospital you will be hard pressed to get the OK to take a bath with baby. I didn't even have a tub in my room, just a shower. But, you might have other options. With DS I requested that they didn't bathe him (and, FWIW, it's not a real bath usually, it's a wipe down with a basin of warm water and a washcloth). He came straight up to me, and then had the newborn exam. During that they wiped most of the vernix, blood and goo off and then he came back to me. Later that night or the next morning I used a wet washcloth to finish cleaning him up. I do think the general medical recommendation is not to get the stump wet until it falls off. Although we did an herbal bath when we got home, DS was 36 hours hold, and with this baby will do so at the birth center before we leave.

[eleonrauis]

The hospital where I had my first (and will have my second) DS does baths about 6 hours after birth in the nursery using a small plastic tub (not a sponge bath). The nurse is there to help, but they encourage mom and dad to do the bath themselves. But they only have showers in the postpartum rooms, no tubs.

[Chamomile Girl]

You've got to be fast on this one. I had NO BATHING NEWBORN in my birthplan (and my husband knew about it) and they did it anyways (with him watching ) using crappy J&J products even though I had brought my own stuff. I unfortunately was recovering from a c-section, so I was not even in the same part of the hospital at the time.

Maybe it was because of the section, but I was told by my midwife not to take a bath myself until after my 6 week check-up.

[Quaniliaz]

Some hospitals make a bigger stink than others about bathing/not bathing baby. There is one around here that makes a big deal, because until the baby is bathed, everyone (staff) has to wear gloves when holding him. Others don't seem to make such a big deal out of it.

[MyFullHouse]

I don't know about a day or two after. I'm not the most educated on umbilical stumps, but I would think that it would get quite... gooey, which doesn't sound like a good thing.

That said, about an hour or so after birth, dh was able to give ds a submerged bath in the birthing tub (without icky baby wash).

[sweetsadie77]

Umbilical cords can get wet and babies tend to like a deep bath where they can float way more then a shallow/sponge bath.

[memz]

My babe never got a bath at the hospital, but they did bother us about it. I wanted her first bath to be a pleasant experience...so she didn't get a bath until 4 days old when we got homw. We had to stay at the hospital longer because of jaundice.... But when we got home that night, hubby got in the tub with her and she absoluetly loved it and has loved it ever since....But the ombilical stub had already fallen since she had to be under the light for 24 hours....so I don't know about that....But I would say a bath in your home will be way better then what they do in hospitals.

[Xavismom]

We didnt let them bathe DS in the hospital, and no one had even the slightest problem with it, but it was a 'Baby Friendly' hospital, so that may have had something to do with it. DS had his first bath when he was 6 days old, at home.

[Ambivalent Dreams]

I called the hospital and talked to one of the nurses on staff. She said it would be fine for me to bathe him myself and that they could bring me a pan of water and sponges. That would be better, to me, than them bathing him, but I would still rather get in the tub with him. You don't go from a labor room to a delivery room to a post partum room at this hospital. It is all one room the whole time you are there and there are bathtubs in the room.

[nia82]

DS was born in a baby friendly hospital and they wore gloves all the time because he's a biohazard with all that vernix on him. DH convinced me to have the nurse bathe him on day 4. In our room, right next to me in the bed, and they did use this horrible J&J stuff even though I said no soap. DS was screaming bloody murder so she stopped after 1 minute.
This time we will have baby at the birthing center and won't bathe for a while. When we bathe, no soap and the tummy tub only.

[EmTheWife]

my dh assisted with the sponge bath at the hospital, and then full imersion baths once home, with my CNM's blessing. ds's cord fell off at 2wks with no ill effect. after baths, we just made sure to dry the cord stump well, and occasionally used rubbing alcohol.

[terra-pip]

my first (birthing center) had a gentle sponge bath with our help.
my second got a sponge bath in the nursery with husband watching. (hospital)
my third (same hospital with new women's center and new policies)got a sponge bath in my room with my help next day.

The vernix is actually helpful to jumpstart the immune response of the skin...so it's not necessary to wash so much or so often in the beginning.

[Twinklefae]

We went home almost straight after the birth (8 hours total) and bathed him at home that night in the tub. He had had mec, and was green. We were so nervous of hurting hi m(and DH is particular - I couldn't bend over the tub) that it took us three days to get it all washed off!

(This started a beautiful tradition, BTW, and to this day DH is the giver of baths. If I try DS says "No, Daddy do it!")

[tanyalynn]

DS was 2 weeks old when we first bathed him and I think I just used water (he's 4yo now, memory's a bit fuzzy). The vernix just seemed to go away on its own and he wasn't actually dirty. I spot cleaned before then, diaper changes and milky face/neck and such, but it wasn't as big a deal as I'd assumed with DD, my first child.