Can someone explain the necessity of a bath for a newborn? - Page 2

[jcregan]

My DD was born in a hospital and had to go to there level 2 nursery for a few hours after she was born (had a medical issue we had not known about ahead of time... long story).  Anyway, they did a bath there.  I don't know if it was policy but I remember being a bit annoyed in the morning when I went down there to nurse her and they told me they had given her a bath.  No one had asked or notified us or whatever.  She was born at 2am and this was during around 4am - 6am when we were sleeping so they maybe just didn't want to wake us up... I never thought about it being policy for the nursery though.

This time DS was bathed about 10 hours after he was born in the hospital but they asked us first and seemed fine either way.  The nurse had actually said that he looked pretty clean and we could just do it at home when we felt like it and I was ok with that but DH is more of the easily grossed out type and really wanted him bathed so I was ok with it.  They actually did the bath while under the warmer so that the body temp would not go down too much.

[Smokering]

I had DD at a hospital in NZ, and went to a birthing centre for two days afterwards. I think she was washed at the birthing centre on the last day, but not before then. She wasn't taken away - I believe DH did it, with a nurse showing him how, and then she was dressed on the bed and popped right back to me (and just as well, as she did NOT like that bath!).

Vernix is good for a baby's skin, so unless there's a compelling reason (like PPs have mentioned - meconium and so on), I don't think babies should be immediately washed. Vernix does tend to "stick", though, so it should be perfectly possible to gently wipe a bit of blood off the baby without scrubbing all the vernix off, you know? I think DD did have a few bits of dried blood in her hair and ears for the first day or two, but it didn't seem to bug anyone...

Also... mucus? Why would a baby be covered in mucus? Where would it come from? You mean, like, cervical fluid? Or what?

[nathansmum]

Like smokering, my kids were born in a birthing unit in NZ. I was in there for 3 days with my son due to difficulties in feeding, and he was only offered a bath on the 3rd day - washed and dressed by me. Very warm room, gentle bath and he was happy. With DD, we took her home a few hours after the birth and I didn't bath her until about day 3 either.