Marsha asks for input.  According to the 10 steps to successful BFing,
leaving mother and baby undisturbed for the first hour is a good idea, so
good that it is one criterion for evaluating baby-friendliness, and leaving
them undisturbed until the first breastfeed is an even better one.  If baby
has already fed well, why not bathe her/him?  If parents want to, that is.

The staff should be aware that it is counterproductive to put a hypothermic
baby under a warmer.  They maintain normal temperature better on mother's
body, with the added benefit of keeping blood glucose levels higher than in
a cot or a warmer.  Cortisol levels are probably lower as well, though I am
not sure that has been examined.

I don't have the reference but a search by the author Kyllike Christensson
(midwife and PhD) of Karolinska Institutet in Sweden will get you to it.

Rachel Myr, midwife, IBCLC (also an assessor for BFHI in Norway)
Kristiansand, Norway

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