talk to me about declining baby's first bath

[YankeeMomInVA]

We're having a hospital birth.

At this particular hospital, as I've mentioned before, my dh is not allowed in the nursery, so they will not let him participate in the first bath as he did for DS.

I realize that a bath for a baby that's just hours old is going to drop his temp, it won't be pleasant for him, and then they'll want to keep him even longer in the nursery to rewarm. I'm trying to avoid that additional separation time.

SO... anyone care to talk to me about this? Has anyone declined a first bath in the hospital before and how did that go?
Are there any articles out there to support NOT doing the first bath in the hospital?
Any thoughts in general?

[Curlita]

Dylan's first bath was in the same room with us at the hospital, and my husband helped. It was also after his first nursing session, and when they were done they handed him back to me to snuggle. I don't know what their response would have been had I requested that the bath not happen... I was so wiped out at that point, they could have been dressing him up in a reindeer suit for all I cared.

I had my birthing class this weekend and they had GREAT advice about avoiding the bath if you don't feel like debating your reasons -- tell them that your mother or MIL or whoever is coming to visit tomorrow morning and you promised them that they could give baby the first bath. Or that you promised they could bathe baby when you get home, if the bathing is done in the nursery. They might complain that they will need to handle baby with gloves until after the bath (don't ask me why).

ETA: one reason for delaying the bath at least until after the nursing session is because of smells. Baby still has amniotic fluid on him and he sort of marks your boobs as his own with his smell. I might not be getting all the details exactly right on this, but that's the general jist.

[Isaac'sMa]

In general I think they do it in the hospital b/c the blood/meconium/vernix is considered a biohazard. However if you and your dh are the only ones holding the baby and baby never goes to the nursery, I don't see how they could use that as a reason. Aren't we all walking biohazards anyway?!

I also don't think a newborn really needs a bath but that's JMO. It's good for their skin to rub the vernix in.

Sorry I have no experience actually avoiding the bath in the hospital, though.

[welldone]

I would strongly suggest declining the bath. Why expose baby to the soap, time away, risk for temperature drops, etc.? The vernix is so good for their skin, anyway. If there's too much, you can just wipe it off with a towel after rubbing a good amount in.

It's your baby, and you absolutely have the right to decline the bath. You can put it in your birth plan, or simply and politely tell them that you'd like to administer his first bath (and they don't need to know when).

The best things to remember when dealing with hospital personnel: be polite, be assertive, and be insistent (if necessary). Sometimes you have to repeat yourself 12 times to 7 different people, but once they realize you're fully in control and not budging, they will tend to leave you alone.

[Dee-Groovy]

I think vernix has anti-microbial properties as well, which makes the baby less susceptible to infections like GBS & yeast that s/he could pick up "on the way out."

[mittendrin]

I declined last time and they were fine with it. But my hospital is very low intervention and supportive of my birthing plan. The following two days til I went home I had one nurse who kept bugging me to bathe that baby but when I asked her politely to keep it to herself, I would bathe him when I thought it necessary.
Of course we will decline this time. My mw prepared me and said that there might be some comments from nurses just for the fact that he technically still has body fluids on him when he isn't bathed and that I could put the ball in their court by suggesting them wearing gloves whenever they have to touch him and not feel comfortable. Sounds like a plan.
I am pretty sure no one will give you a hard time about it.

[thorn]

Originally Posted by welldone

simply and politely tell them that you'd like to administer his first bath (and they don't need to know when).

not in your DDC, but this is what we are doing as well - we are saying that it is family tradition for the parents to give the first bath (I have heard suggested before to say it is in your religion too - I'm not religious so tradition is the best I can do)

[De-lovely]

I would certainly want DH to be a part of it and so I would also say we would like to administer his first bath-thanks. And that be it....good luck mama.

[Googy]

You should definitely wait several hours before you bathe, and then I would decline the nursery bath. There is no reason that you and DH can't bathe the baby on your own in your room.

[YankeeMomInVA]

coooooool

Dh was very very upset to hear that they wouldn't let him in the nursery to do it! Especially since he had those very touching moments with our first. (I took pictures of him doing it since I snuck out of my postpartum room after sitting there for over an hour and being sick of waiting for my baby! )

It makes perfect sense to just tell them that DH is the one that gives the first bath and that if he cannot do it in the nursery, we'll just do it when we get home (we'll go home at 24 hours as long as babe and I are healthy).

When should I bring this up when I'm in the hospital?? Right away? so the expectation is set? It'll be in my birth plan, but no one really paid attention to it last time... so we'll have to be prepared to be vocal about it.

[monocyte]

Originally Posted by Isaac'sMa

In general I think they do it in the hospital b/c the blood/meconium/vernix is considered a biohazard.

This is what we were told with DS...he had barely any vernix as he was overcooked. No one seemed to care that I was covered in blood from head to toe, literally - I had a quite a bleed. DH was able to give him the bath hours after birth, but we are going to be much more insistent this time around (honestly, I didnt even think about it til they told us it was time for his bath, and we did manage to delay it many hours after they told us.) I've already got a note on it for my birth plan.

[Curlita]

Originally Posted by YankeeMomInVA

When should I bring this up when I'm in the hospital?? Right away? so the expectation is set? It'll be in my birth plan, but no one really paid attention to it last time... so we'll have to be prepared to be vocal about it.

I would tell whoever is on duty as your labor nurse as soon as you get there, and then try to remember to tell anyone else who comes on duty later. They may or may not make a note of it. And just decide that you or your husband are going to be with the baby at all times and if someone says or does anything to indicate an upcoming bath, tell them again that it won't be necessary.

When I had Dylan, I felt like I needed to write down every single thing that I wanted in case I forgot, but I found that I felt strongly enough about most things to be assertive about them without referring to my notes.

[mothragirl]

mmm, tell them you don't want to wash off that amazing smell.

[scheelimama]

At my birth center, they won't bathe or even let you bathe the baby there. You are free to do so whenever you want once you get home. But they don't do it because a) it drops the baby's temp which isn't good for the baby and b) they get a healthy dose of floura when coming through the birth canal that helps their immunity tremendously. They don't believe that it should be washed off right away. I think they mentioned something about the vernix being good too and having antimicrobial properties. I'm sure you could do some research to find out all the actual reasons that it's good to wait. Or you could just tell them no, that your dh will do it when you get home. Good luck!