Does your facility delay the infant bath to more than 6 hours after birth?  Did your facility use any evidence/studies to support this change in practice?  

I am performing a literature review for a paper that will hopefully give the evidence for why delaying the newborn bath would decrease the risk for formula supplementation in an at-risk infant.  If you have any knowledge of journal articles that would support or disprove my hypothesis I would appreciate it.  I am looking for articles on thermoregulation in the newborn. cold stress leading to hypoglycemia.  delaying infant bath etc.  hypoglycemia being a major reason for formula supplementation etc.  I would really appreciate any help this community can provide.

My thoughts are- bathing infants makes them cold.  keeping warm makes an infant use their blood sugar reserves to increase their body tempreture.  low blood sugar leads to formula supplementation.  Some babies are more at risk for low blood sugar than others.  Could delaying the infant bath decrease the need for formula supplementation.  

Any help you guys can provide to assist me in finding answers to these questions would be very helpful!!!!  Thank you!

Lisa Haughey IBCLC
San Diego

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