Vernix & baby's first bath

[sunkist33]

I know vernix is highly protective & moisturizing...so what do you do after the birth? Do you rub it/ massage it in? How long did you wait to give baby his first "bath" and what did you use to wash them with?
My tenative plan (whether at the birthing center or hospital) is to tell them that we want to leave the vernix on for at least 24 hours & then we'll take care of the first "bath" (if we end up at the birthing center, they kick you out after 6 hours anayways, so the first bath would be at home) with our own baby wash (Burts Bees, yum!) rather than the Johnson's crap they tend to have at all the hospitals.
Just wondering if anyone has any thoughts on this?
Thanks!
Stacy
28 weeks

[salt_phoenix]

rub in the vernix if there is any to rub in (if your baby is "on time" or "late" it may not have any)
My first had NONE.
My second had LOTS.

I sponge bath my babies until their cords fall off, and then really only a little... babies don't really get very dirty right away... just the pee and meconium and milk crusties.... it's when the poo and spitting up sets in that you will need to start bathing your baby... by then, the vernix is long gone.

[AlpineMama]

We didn't give the baby a bath until most of the "cheese" was already off. DH said he smelled like silly putty. About a week after birth we took a bath together because I wanted to encourage him to breastfeed and I'd read that sometimes they will initiate it in the tub. (Never did. ) But he really liked the water so we started taking nightly baths... no soap until a few weeks or months afterwards though, I forget.

[mama_nym]

Coren had TONS of vernix - the midwives had never seen so much - it was covering the surface of the birth pool, covering him, covering me (from being in/getting out of the birth pool!). We didn't bathe him for at least the first few days. If memory serves he was about a week old when I realized he hadn't had a bath at all and the two of us took a nice herbal bath together. We don't use soap/shampoo, so just a nice herbal bath!

[Jezzy]

Originally Posted by mama_nym

Coren had TONS of vernix - the midwives had never seen so much - it was covering the surface of the birth pool, covering him, covering me (from being in/getting out of the birth pool!). We didn't bathe him for at least the first few days. If memory serves he was about a week old when I realized he hadn't had a bath at all and the two of us took a nice herbal bath together. We don't use soap/shampoo, so just a nice herbal bath!

What did you use for the herbal bath?? Anything special??

[mama_nym]

If I remember correctly, it was basically my postpartum herbs (used for postpartum pads) minus the witch hazel, plus some chamomile ... so comfrey, sheppards purse, uva ursi and chamomile.

[smokeylo]

I wouldn't worry about bathing for a few days, if not longer (especially in the cold winter!). Maybe a warm washcloth to wipe off crusties. You may have a hard time keeping the nursery staff off your babe, though!

[Mama2-4]

You should really try to rub it in to the babys skin, use some on your own skin if it is dry and baby has lots of it! I know when I worked in L&D the older nurses would talk about the days before universal precautions and they would just love to get a baby that was coated with it, they would use the vernix to moisturize their hands!

[flapjack]

If baby has some meconium I'd bathe him, if not, I'd just let him be. Newborns don't need regular baths (in fact, I don't think babies need regular baths until they're on solids.)

[BinahYeteirah]

bs"d

I didn't bathe my first for a while after she was born; I don't remember how long, at least a few days. I had a homebirth and the recommendation was that I should take her in for a ped appointment at around 3 days pp. So I did. There was a little vernix under her arms and the doc scolded me for not washing it off. He told me it would irritate her skin. I guess I didn't know any better, so I just said, "Oh, okay." Anyway, some docs are just silly, don't let anyone try and tell you the stuff has to be washed off. Now that universal precautions are in place, apparently some places treat it as a body fluid and nurses won't touch your baby without gloves if he/she hasn't been bathed.

I personally like to give my babies daily baths, usually with me. I have always found it hard to get rid of that "sour milk" smell (from old milk in the folds and creases of skin) babies will get just by sponge bathing. Generally, I just use warm water, no soap. I can't remember when I've given the first bath, maybe at day 2-3. I know I gave one before the cord stump fell off. It is okay if it gets wet. I don't think getting wet prevented it from falling off soon enough, and I didn't notice any issues with healing.

[NamastePlatypus]

I had e in germany and no bath, just a massage with EVO while he was nursing his first time. IT was great.

[Dea]

This is a little off topic but Hathor had a video on her website showing a baby's first bath at the hospital. (It's not on You Tube any more) And the nurse was holding the baby face down under a running tap and washing her quite viciously. At one point the baby was gurgling as she was aspirating water and the nurse did NOTHING! She kept on washing with a lot of soap. The father stood there and videoed it all. The whole time the baby was screaming.
The video was really disturbing to me. She handled the baby so roughly holding her with one hand (laying the baby across her arm and holding her at the shoulder). I understand that babies aren't really breakable, but this was so callous.
Anyhow in the comments most people agreed that the nurse was unduly rough, but some people made comments like "it's good for a baby to cry like that" and commented that when the baby was with her mother she was okay and calm.
In any case it was another nail in the hospital birth coffin and reaffirms to me why I want a home birth!

[the elyse]

okay that's scary.

i'm so glad you all brought this up, i would have washed it off without thinking. i know i didn't bathe dd very much when she was little...mostly because i forgot. : but after reading this i feel better! i guess i'll wait to bathe the bean till all the creamy stuff is gone.

[LoveChild421]

we don't bathe the baby until the cord stump falls off, which is usually a week. I love the newborn buttery baby smell so I like to keep it as long as possible and it just goes away after that first bath.

[ellymay]

Originally Posted by Dea

This is a little off topic but Hathor had a video on her website showing a baby's first bath at the hospital. (It's not on You Tube any more) And the nurse was holding the baby face down under a running tap and washing her quite viciously. At one point the baby was gurgling as she was aspirating water and the nurse did NOTHING! She kept on washing with a lot of soap. The father stood there and videoed it all. The whole time the baby was screaming.
The video was really disturbing to me. She handled the baby so roughly holding her with one hand (laying the baby across her arm and holding her at the shoulder). I understand that babies aren't really breakable, but this was so callous.
Anyhow in the comments most people agreed that the nurse was unduly rough, but some people made comments like "it's good for a baby to cry like that" and commented that when the baby was with her mother she was okay and calm.
In any case it was another nail in the hospital birth coffin and reaffirms to me why I want a home birth!

Ok just so you know that isn't the norm for hospital baths I have given birth to all my children in hospitals and have always had the nurse give them a bath in my room and they filled a pan up w/ some luke warm water and gently washed them while I helped so though yes that is distrubing that isn't the norm as to how hospital baths go.

[mom2tillie]

Yes, that is a terrible story Dea, but that is not how my daughter's first bath was at all... the nurse was very nice and gentle... she explained everything she was doing as my husband recorded it. Tillie got a really calm, peaceful look as soon as the warm water touched her head and she looked really happy. She has always been a water baby and we look forward to bath time each day.

That said, I am still hoping to avoid the hospital completely this time and look forward to giving Jack his first bath myself when I am good and ready.

-Iris

[the elyse]

thinking back..the nurse that bathed dd held her in one hand under the faucet...no tub or wash cloth. : at that point i'm pretty sure she was only about 4.5 lbs.

[ksera05]

Wow. That type of bath is so not the norm for the hospital DD was at. If someone had done that with her they would have been fired

I'm having this baby around 37 weeks so he'll probably come out pretty vernix-y. I'm going to have them rub him down really well in the OR (gently ) and then we'll wait on the bath until DH and I can do it (so probably around 24-48 hours old, depending on how I'm feeling). We don't use soap at home but I'll probably pick up some nicer stuff (like Burt's Bees) since I hate Johnson and Johnson. I like bathing my babies though : and Sydney LOVES baths so we do them fairly often here...