Perhaps this will be of some use.  I give this little snippet out of the WHO
handbook to those I teach so they confidently be able to  tell staff not to
bathe their newborns routinely for staff convenience in the first hours. 

 

Best, 

Jackie Levine

 

 

 

World Heath Org on Protocols immediately after birth

From the World Health Org Handbook  ESS-EMCH SECTION 11 Neonatal Emergencies
Last updated 27/4/2009 215

Preventing heat loss after birth

. As long as the baby becomes pink, and starts to breathe without distress,
most babies

must be with their mothers and have a first feed at the breast within
minutes of birth.

. Colostrum is extremely nutritious and all mothers should be informed that
it is ideal

for their baby to feed on this as soon after birth as possible.

. Babies very easily get cold immediately after birth, and using water or
oil to clean the

skin within six hours of birth before body temperature has stabilised can
make the baby dangerously hypothermic (a problem that may well be missed if
a low reading

thermometer is not used). Nothing is a more effective source of warmth than
the

mother's own body as long as the baby is first gently dried to minimize
evaporative heat

loss and mother and baby are then both protected from draughts.

 

Life (IMEESC 3.2 and Integrated Management of Pregnancy and Childbirth.
Managing Newborn Problems: a guide for doctors, nurses and midwives. WHO
2003 ISBN 92 4 154622 0

"WHO Newborn")

 

 


             ***********************************************

Archives: http://community.lsoft.com/archives/LACTNET.html
To reach list owners: [log in to unmask]
Mail all list management commands to: [log in to unmask]
COMMANDS:
1. To temporarily stop your subscription write in the body of an email: set lactnet nomail
2. To start it again: set lactnet mail
3. To unsubscribe: unsubscribe lactnet
4. To get a comprehensive list of rules and directions: get lactnet welcome