US answer: because we are obsessed with <gasp> germs!  Of course all the stuff we do, seems to make germs hardier!  Some people worry about HIV, because there is blood on the baby.  But it seems like everyone wears gloves in the hospital for everything now :-(
U of MI Maternal/Child in Ann Arbor use to let the parents decide when to bathe. Not sure what they still do.  Pat in SNJ 

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