I am looking for information on two fronts regarding giving newborns an  
"initial bath."  
I have been researching this so as to change a policy at the hospital I  work 
at who does an initial bath at about 2 hours of age on the newborn.  
In the USA this became a practice because of infection control and worries  
of health care providers being exposed to such viruses as Hepatitis and  HIV.  
With universal care all babies are treated the same.  All  hospital infection 
control policies state that health care workers should wear  gloves until the 
newborn has been bathed.
The infection control nurse gave me the page from their manual, which  
applies across the USA, and it states that the newborn needs to be toweled off  at 
birth so they are no longer wet.  All visible blood is to be removed by  water 
and cotton ball (but no time is applied to this statement).  Soaps  are not 
recommended on newborns skin, just plain water.
 
I want to change the practice at my hospital because this bath causes  
increase separation of mother and baby, hypothermia which than leads to need of  
checking blood sugars (and the cascade of problems with this including  
supplements), and the increase stress this bathing procedure places on the  newborn.  
I am coming up against resistance from my manager.  She wants more  data to 
support delaying the bath.  
My request from this group is which hospitals in Massachusetts and southern  
New Hampshire delay this bath?  Other states can respond to me but she only  
cares about the local area.  
I am also looking for data that supports that a baby "dried off" after  birth 
is now no longer at risk of transmitting viruses to the health care  workers. 
 
I really don't care if a provider has to wear gloves for a few more hours  
but really would like to see data on this.
The other mind set that really needs to be changed is parents.  They  think 
the bath is so important and don't want their baby to be "dirty."  We  really 
have a long way in educating the public on this one but I am  trying.  
If folks want to respond to me privately, that would be fine.
Thanks for any and all responses.
Ann Perry, RN IBCLC
Boston, MA

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