The first hours of life after birth are key for mother and baby to know each other, remain in skin-to-skin contact and establish an emotional bond from the first moment. In many maternity hospitals, the newborn's bath is one of the first interventions performed, the majority within 12 hours after delivery.
New research published in the scientific journal Journal of Obstetric, Gynecologic & Neonatal Nursing recommends waiting to clean the baby, as they have found that delaying the first bath of the newborn is related to an increase in breastfeeding rates.
Babies are not born dirty
Many times it is believed that it is necessary to bathe babies because they are born covered with vernix caseosa or sebaceous joint, a whitish substance that usually accumulates mainly in the back, in the flexion folds and in the scalp. This cheese-like consistency is made up of a mixture of sebaceous secretions, lanugo and peeling skin cells of the baby.
In Babies and more Babies are not born dirty: the first bath can waitBut it's not dirt. This fatty and sticky substance begins to be generated around the 20th week of gestation to protect your delicate skin from the irritating effects of amniotic fluid and dehydration, preventing it from cracking.
Its function does not end with childbirth. After birth it also has benefits for the baby, including the establishment of breastfeeding during the first hours of life. Recall that in this period it is very important that mother and baby do not separate and remain in skin-to-skin contact as long as possible to promote emotional bonding and breastfeeding.
Not bathing favors breastfeeding
The study involved 996 couples of mothers and babies. About half of the babies (448) were bathed within two hours after birth, while in the other group of 548 babies, the bath was delayed for at least 12 hours.
The researchers found a relationship between delayed bath and a better establishment of exclusive breastfeeding.
Cases in which formula milk was not used during the hospital stay increased from 59.8 percent in the first group to 68.2 percent in the second group. That is, almost ten percent more in which the bathroom was delayed.
They think the explanation might have something to do with baby's sense of smell and with the non-interruption of skin-to-skin contact that helps the baby be calmer, less stressed and ready to breastfeed.
"They have been swimming in the amniotic fluid for 38, 39, 40 weeks of their life and the mother's breast emits a smell similar to that of that amniotic fluid. So, the idea is that the smells of both help the baby to hitch. It's easier for the baby to find something comfortable, normal and that they like, "explains Heather Condo DiCioccio, lead author of the study and nursing specialist for the Mother and Baby Unit at Cleveland Clinic Hillcrest Hospital in Mayfield Heights, Ohio .
In the study, the effect was greater in women who gave birth vaginally, probably because their babies are placed in the chest immediately compared to cesarean deliveries, when it may take up to 30 minutes before skin contact begins. skin, said DiCioccio.
The conclusions of the study go in the same direction as the WHO recommendations, which in its guide to newborn care suggests delay the first bath up to 24 hours after birth, and if this is not possible, for cultural reasons, it must be delayed by at least six hours.
To promote exclusive breastfeeding, motherhoods should review practices for delaying in the bath of healthy newborns for 12 hours or more.
In Babies and more The three reasons why you should not bathe the baby at birthNot only does breastfeeding improve
But in addition to promoting breastfeeding, this substance has other benefits for the baby. It has antimicrobial properties and acts as a shield of the immune system, such as barrier against bacterial infections and mushrooms.
In addition, newborns that maintain vernix on their skin have better thermal maintenance, fewer injuries, greater skin hydration and greater elasticity in their skin.
