The first hours of life after birth are key for mother and baby to get to know each other, stay in skin-to-skin contact and establish an emotional bond from the first moment. In many maternity wards, bathing the newborn is one of the first interventions performed, most within 12 hours after delivery.
New research published in the Journal of Obstetric, Gynecologic & Neonatal Nursing recommends waiting to clean the baby, as they have found that delaying a newborn’s first bath is associated with increased breastfeeding rates .
Babies are not born dirty
It is often believed that babies need to be bathed because they are born covered in vernix caseosa or sebaceous oil, a whitish substance that tends to accumulate mainly on the back, in flexion creases, and on the scalp. This cheese-like rub is made up of a mixture of sebaceous secretions, lanugo, and baby’s peeling skin cells.
But it is not dirt . This greasy and sticky substance begins to be generated around the 20th week of gestation to protect your delicate skin from the irritating effects of amniotic fluid and dehydration, preventing it from cracking.
Its role does not end with childbirth. After birth it also has benefits for the baby, including the establishment of breastfeeding during the first hours of life. Remember that in this period it is very important that mother and baby do not separate and remain in skin-to-skin contact for as long as possible to promote bonding and breastfeeding.
Not bathing them favors breastfeeding
The study involved 996 pairs of mothers and babies. About half of the babies (448) were bathed within two hours of birth, while in the other group of 548 babies, bathing was delayed for at least 12 hours .
The researchers found a relationship between delayed bathing and better establishment of exclusive breastfeeding .
Cases in which no formula was used during the hospital stay increased from 59.8 percent in the first group to 68.2 percent in the second group. That is, almost ten percent more in which the bath was delayed.
They believe that the explanation could have something to do with the baby’s sense of smell and the non-interruption of skin-to-skin contact that favors the baby being calmer, less stressed and ready to breastfeed.
“They have been swimming in the amniotic fluid for 38, 39, 40 weeks of their life and the mother’s breast emits an odor similar to that of that amniotic fluid. So, the idea is that the odors of both help the baby to It’s easier for the baby to find something comfortable, normal and that they like, “explains Heather Condo DiCioccio, lead author of the study and a nurse specialist for the Mother and Baby Unit at Cleveland Clinic Hillcrest Hospital in Mayfield Heights, Ohio. .
In the study, the effect was greater in women who delivered vaginally, probably because their babies are placed at the breast immediately compared to cesarean deliveries, when it can take up to 30 minutes before skin-to-skin contact begins. skin, DiCioccio pointed out.
The conclusions of the study go in the same direction as the WHO recommendations, which in its newborn care guide suggests delaying the first bath until 24 hours after birth , and if this is not possible, for cultural reasons, it should be delay for at least six hours.
Not only does it improve lactation
But in addition to promoting breastfeeding, this substance has other benefits for the baby. It has antimicrobial properties and acts as a shield for the immune system, as a barrier against bacterial and fungal infections.
In addition, newborns who keep vernix on their skin have better thermal maintenance, fewer lesions, greater skin hydration and greater elasticity in their skin.
More information | Journal of Obstetric, Gynecologic & Neonatal Nursing
In Babies and more | Why is it not necessary to bathe the baby at birth
