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After the birth of our baby boy Hudson last week, we have been seeing some healthy developments and we know why. We waited a few days to give him his first bath. Why you ask? We were told about the benefits of a delayed bath has on our newborns health.
Baby skin has natural protection from infection called vernix. the white stuff on their skin is incredible and because we had a home birth, we had the choice of letting our baby stay on my chest and skin with out a huge scrub down. Becoming a new mother is both exciting and exhausting with a lot of decisions.
There is a lot going on during your child’s birth – physically in the room, as well as emotionally and mentally. It can be easy to get swept up in the hype and not notice as the care givers go through their usual routines. Regardless if you have a hospital or home birth, write a birth plan to let people know your choices.
There are so many incredible reasons to prolong your babies first bath. Here are some reasons why you should wait before you rush that first time bath with your little bubba.
1. Stabilized infant blood sugar:
Bathing a baby too soon after birth can cause low blood sugar. In the first few hours after birth a baby has to adjust to life outside the uterus, including losing the placenta as a source of blood sugar. Bathing causes crying, stress and the release of stress hormones. Stress hormones can cause a baby’s blood sugar to drop, which can make a baby too sleepy to wake up and breastfeed, causing the blood sugar to drop even more. Rarely, low blood sugar can cause neurological injury.
2. Improved temperature control:
Giving a baby a bath too soon can cause hypothermia. Inside mom it was about 98.6 degrees, but most babies are born in rooms that are about 70 degrees. In the first few hours after birth a baby has to use a lot of energy to keep warm. If a baby gets too cold, he or she can drop their blood sugar or have other complications.
3. Improved breastfeeding:
Studies show more breastfeeding success when moms are allowed to stay skin to skin with babies and this time is not interrupted by medical “procedures” or a bath. Breastfeeding can become a stressful burden on a very tired mother. But babies who breastfeed in the first hour of life—and preferably in the first 30 minutes—have a much easier time learning how to latch.
4. Improved maternal-infant bonding:
New babies need to snuggle skin-to-skin with their mom be given a chance to try to breastfeed. As long as the baby does not need help breathing or immediate resuscitation, babies need to be held by their mother. Infants who are held skin-to-skin on mom’s chest have better blood sugar and temperature control and have an easier time learning to breastfeed.
5.Reduced risk of infection:
Vernix contains proteins that prevent common bacterial infections. it's practically a natural antibacterial ointment. Bacteria such as Group B Strep and E. coli are often transmitted to newborns during delivery and can cause bloodstream infections, pneumonia and meningitis, and can be fatal. These are not rare infections– we test babies for them daily.
We partnered up with KIN ORGANICS on this video using their baby tub tea soothing bath soak which was so delicate and soft. We partnered with a company that cares about their ingredients because, shockingly, most hospitals use JJ baby soap, which is filled with cancer-causing chemicals.
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Check out Kin Organics baby tub tea <3
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