declining the first bath - Page 3

[Belle]

We got around this by giving my dd her first bath ourselves. She didn't leave our room and she didn't get a bath until her second day. Also, hospital policy is NOT law. Just because they have to follow hospital policy doesn't mean you have to.

[BusyBeeMom]

I didn't think to decline it w/DD, and had lost so much blood that I was happy to remember my name. W/DS (born 8 days ago), my DH told them "no bath," and that was the end of it. One or two of the nurses confirmed w/me that he hadn't had a bath. When he was about 24 hours old, I used a wet washcloth to clean his head and get the blood out of his hari, and DH & I gave him a sponge bath on day 2.

[SGVaughn]

this "must have a bath/dirty baby" thing is mind blowing to me....where the hell has everyone given birth?
my first daughter they insisted that I bathe her before we left the hospital...they handle (if the handle them at all) all the babies with gloves on period...bathed or not

but they didnt require me to do any scrubbing or anything it was like a tutorial on how not to drop a new wet baby( which at the time?? i was kinda grateful for anyway!)...and it was done in a sink in my room with run of the mill baby wash (like johnsons)
and there was no incubator...the heat was turned up in my room beforehand but they insisted that me or my husband do the bathing...
second daughter they just said...well youve cared for one before already so I imagine you have bathing down pat but if youd like we can get some supplies for you if youd like to bathe her...but it was hardly required
all this crap that the mammas here have had to deal with...I cant even imagine it...dirty bio-hazard babies...Id deck someone if it was even hinted at...

[babybugmama]

wow...who knew. They asked with ds, who is 2 1/2 weeks old, but they had just done his measurements and all that and he was upset. I said no, he doesn't need it. And that was that. I didn't bathe him until he was almost a week old. They rubbed him down a little after putting him on me...but really he wasn't messy at all. I think I took a cloth wipe and washed a blood spot off his face early on, but that was it.

[Flower of Bliss]

The bath they gave my DD at the hospital made my DH cry. I didn't think about refusing it then (though I had a very detailed birth plan full of NO and do NOT). They used J&J shampoo (which I had told DH a list of reasons that I didn't want to use at home). They really scrubbed her down. DH felt that they were too rough with her.

She did not cry. She was never taken out to the room. It was done while I was being stitched (compound presentation + 4 hour labor = 4th degree tear). I had held her skin to skin immediately. They took her when her breathing seemed too raspy to suction her some (perhaps I should have refused this too, but it was a FAST labor and so she didn't get squeezed during birth for long. I told them if they were taking her to go ahead and do what they were going to do (suction, weight, vit-k, bath) while I was being stitched and then when I got her back she was not taken away at all. I would have had a very different attitude if she was to be taken out of the room at all.

She did have a full head of hair and I had a 4th degree tear, so I would have wanted to bathe her not too long after birth anyway. Next time we'll bring our own soap (or do no soap) and have DH or I do the bath when we get around to it.

They were very good about all of my NO's on the birth plan. They also didn't bat and eye at the cloth diapers (except that many of the nurses had no idea how to do/undo cloth).

[cchrissyy]

with my 1st, nobody offered

with my 2nd, they offered and I refused, no problem

with my 3rd (awful urban hospital) they hassled me some, but I stood firm, and they tired to sway me by saying "but them we have to wear glvoes", which was ridiculous, first because I couldn't care less if it inconvenienced them to wear gloves, 2nd because FINE if it discouraged them from touching him extra, and 3rd, maybe I'd prefer they cover their germy hand with gloves anyway!

[sophmama]

Ok - I'm wanting dh to do the first bath - I'm obviously not wanting to use Johnsons' and Johnsons' - and we'll wait until after nursing and settling, etc., but - what should we use on the baby's skin? I would like to use more than just water - but not much more!

[ElliesMomma]

i'm curious what are the reasons to not use johnsons and johnsons?

[guest9921]

DS's first wash cloth bath was in my arms a day after he was born.

I liked our nurse - she offered - I held him, and she washed his thick yummy hair.

Next time around I will keep him yummy smelling - I remember loving the feeling of his skin, the vernix, unlike any other substance.
Kind of like, a mixture of sheabutter and bacon grease. (Not the smell, but the texture...what an awful image )


No negative feelings surround his first bath - but, as I mentioned, next time around - I am actually planning a lotus birth, (not pregnant, but when it happens.)

[moppity]

With DD, it was hospital policy NOT to bathe them. When she was born and they put her on me they wiped her a little with a towel and then said that they don't like to bath for at least 24 hours after the birth (to keep the vernix on as long as possible). She ended up being 48 hours (we had visitors, I wanted one particular student m/w to show us etc) and DH and I both were there.

I am delivering at a different hospital this time, not sure what the policy is but I will be refusing the bath until at least 24 hours pp.

[the_lissa]

I can't believe some hospitals have forced bath policies!!

[lolar2]

Hospitals consider ALL blood to be a biohazard as a matter of course, because of AIDS and hepatitis. They won't handle so much as a papercut without gloves.

[the_lissa]

Well yes I understand that, but I didn't shower until the next day and my daughter didn't get bathed at all when we were at the hospital.

[ShadowMoon]

They never bathed ds in the hospital. Right after he was born, they rubbed the vernix into his skin and then handed him back to me to nurse. They said a bath was unnecessary that soon. I or dp was with him whenever the nurses took him to the nursery and they didn't bathe him there either. I guess it just depends on the hospital.

[Samjm]

At our hospital birth I actually had to request stuff to bathe DD 3 days after she was born!

[babybugmama]

Originally Posted by ElliesMomma

i'm curious what are the reasons to not use johnsons and johnsons?

There's so much involved there. I would go to the natural home and body care here: http://www.mothering.com/discussions...splay.php?f=11 and do a search. Lots and lots of chemicals in them though...

[molarmama]

With my second son he was sent to the NICU. I actually thought that their bathing policy was weird. They don't do it until the second or third day. The nurse waited for me to be there and I thought that was great. She was really gentle. They used dial soap too as they said it was more gentle than baby soap. I still have it saved!

[OkieMama2three]

Originally Posted by ElliesMomma

i'm curious what are the reasons to not use johnsons and johnsons?

It strips their skin of it's natural protective oils as well as destroying it's natural pH correct state that helps ward off germs.

[lotusmamma]

One of the things I love about waterbirthing is that baby already has had a bath. The vernix stays on but any blood rinses off. I always have a bath with my babies in the big tub when they are little - constant contact and skin-on-skin and breastfeeding in the bath is lovely. When I had my first baby it was in a hospital and I was the only mother who looked after her own baby the whole time. I don't see any need to anybody else to decide when my baby has a bath let alone bathe them for me.

I reckon all those baby bath products are unnecessary and a rip off plus then you only need to buy more of their products to replace the ph balance of baby's skin. They are perfectly fine waiting for a bath or being wiped over with cotton wool and water. We never use any products on our kids bodies or hair until they are around 4yo - juest water adn occassionally oil - and I promise they don't smell LOL.

Sam in Sydney

[Baby Hopes]

My eldest was born in a German hospital and wasn't bathed "officially" until day three when we were discharged. (Although she had a rather unceremonious dip in the sink right after birth.) The midwives brought myself and my daughter down to the nursery and the midwife showed me how to hold DD1 and bath her. Also, they explained how to care for her cord. I actually really enjoyed the lesson. I've handled babies before but never so young, and never with such responsibility!

My Homebirthed DD2 didn't get a bath in forever. Maybe even two weeks? We spot cleaned her... but she smelled wonderful for such a long time. (Well her cord got a bit funky, but that was unrelated. )

On the flip side, I watched my nephew recieve his first bath and was appalled by the amount of soap that nurse scrubbed on his tiny body. I kid you not she used up an entire small bottle of J&J. She'd scrub, scrub, scrub, rinse, rinse, rinse, and scrub all over. Until the entire bottle was used up. That baby just screamed and screamed and screamed. And then when I tapped on the glass and offered to hold him I was informed he needed to be under lights for an hour to regulate his temperature.

So yeah, he spent almost TWO hours away from his mother. And that doesn't include the same-day circumcision.