hi all
  there was a study done at UCSF a few years ago related to newborn baths in
the first 24 hours of life, showing difficulties with latching after the
bath, thought to be related to washing the smell of the amniotic fluid off
of the baby.  smell is a newborn's strongest sense, it is how they know
their world, their bodies and their mother, and washing that smell off,
especially off of their hands, seemed to cause disorientation and poor
latching once returned to the breast.  i STRONGLY discourage the newborn
bath in the first 24hours of life, as it is really only for hospital staff
anyway (so that they can handle the baby without gloves, i have never seen
any research to show benefit with lung expansion, and of course there is the
deleterious temperature issue) in addition i strongly discourage my mom's
from using any soaps or lotions above the waist while washing in the first
24 hours postpartum, also to preserve the smell that the baby leaves on mom
when first placed on her body immediately postpartum.
  i will do my best to find the original article for you all, and will post
if/when i do but at minimum there is definitely no harm to delaying the bath
and all our local hospitals have gotten used to clients refusing the bath
and are not making an issue out of it, the baby merely gets a sign placed on
his/her bassinet stating "this baby has not been bathed, please wear gloves"
(personally i want any hospital staff who is handling my clients baby's to
be wearing gloves anyway, so i see this as a benefit).  client's have no
problem with it when they learn they can still have the nurses help them
with a bath prior to discharge if they choose to, just not in the first 24
hours.  thanks for bringing up this issue and please join me in "banning the
bath".
ciao
ami burnham LM, IBCLC, BSN

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