just wondering when did you have your first shower after the birth and bubs first bath?
with DD i had a shower a few hours after but didnt use soap for waist up for a few weeks, just water and DD was bathed around 24 hrs after birth in plain water.
this time i have no intention of bathing bubs in hospital at all and was wondering what other did/ are doing?
i feel the natural body smells are important to one another for bonding and feeding, wondering others thoughts.
I had a shower about an hour after DD was born (homebirth). I used shower gel i think, can't really remember clearly except for turning the heat to tepid and hosing my baby-exit down! LOL. I didn't shy away from using soap or think about bonding/natural body odour - we bonded great and feeding was fine though. I do remember having to lean right forward in the shower to breathe out properly because my slack tummy muscles couldn't help my diaphragm much! I also remember my bleeding being profuse enough that i had to stick a maternity pad between my legs so i could dry them because lochia was coming pretty fast. It was a great shower though, very refreshing. XP held DD while i was in there.
I think we bathed DD on about day 3 or 4. She was pretty clean at birth to be honest, and apart from a bit of dried blood we wiped off her head with a damp cloth about 3 hours after her birth and a lot of vernix we just rubbed in, she was fairly fresh. We gave her a bath in a tummy tub when we got around to it and took photos.
I had a shower each time after they had had their first feed and I washed with my normal shower gel. I think with number 4 we didn't was him until he was nearly a week old, because they told me that it was good just to leave the vernix on as long as possible. The others have all waited until they have been home, which is usually day 2 or 3.
this is a great thread.... I hadn't thought about when I'd wash our baby. I thought we would just do it the next day? but now i'm thinking I'll wait til we get home..... day 3 or 4...interested to read what others say.
With no 1, I couldn't stand due to too much blood loss I had a bed bath the day after birth and a propper shower the day after that, it was gross! I fainted in the shower about 3hrs after birth, with no 2. LOL. Both times I used unscented soap. Bathed both babes the day after birth just in water.
Ceri was a waterbirth so was squeaky clean but the midwife on duty the next day insisted she have a bath (or at least it felt like she did), which I didn't want, but Mitch was for it too so Ceri had a bath. I had a shower a few hours after her birth (I was pretty clean from the waterbirth too) and used my normal soap which is natural stuff from the market.
I think Caty had a bath the next day too....silly hosp used J&J crap and we didn't know any better so Caty was bathed in it. Oh well, she survived!
I would have thought if you're wearing your normal deodorant and using your normal soap/wash then bubs will smell that once s/hes born and recognise it as belonging to you?
I really miss my perfumes though! My freind held Ceri for ages yesterday and Ceri's head smelt sooo good where it had been rubbing agaisnt her decolage (sp)!
DD1 i had a shower about 3 hours after birth, she had a bath around 12 hours adter birth
DD2 i had a shower about 1 hour after birth and she had a bath about 18 hours after birth as she was in a humdi crib for a while and under observation.
This time i plan to shower asap and bath bub asap...i HATE the smell of new born blood and i want a clean looking bub!
AJp - i had a shower in the labour room a few hours later before we transfered to the ward.
As for DS i think it was about 2 days later. We still only bathe him every 2-3 nights in plain water
with both my births I had a shower as soon as they finished stitching my tear. I hate the sweaty feeling after childbirth, I feel clean & normal again (as normal as you can possibly feel after just giving birth!)
I just like to get into my ward bed nice & clean & comfy
I think both my kids were washed the following day after birth. DS definately was. I just prefer to get rid of the blood through the hair etc
For dd1 I had a shower about 5 hours after she was born and she was bathed on day 3.
dd2, shower 1hr after birht and she was bathed on day 3
dd3, showered 2 hr after birth, and she did not have her first bath till she was 10 days old at home, in water and alphkeri oil.
Each time i used my normal stuff and my kids were bathed in alphakeri oil.
I had a shower as soon as they would let me stand up! Had to let the drip run through cause I had a small PPH, and have something to eat. I can't even imagine NOT showering after labour - the thought of the shower I was going to have afterwards really helped me get through the 2nd stage! I felt so dirty - blood, amniotic fluid, sweat, meconium it was just revolting! DD was in special care for 2 days so I guess the smell factor was not an issue for us anyway since I couldn't have her with me. I gave her her first bath on the morning of day 2 - I thought it was just the best thing ever. She had a bunch of meconium in her hair that I had been staring at for two days and it made me soooooo happy to wash it out and make her little head all clean.
Last edited by thepixie; November 11th, 2008 at 11:23 AM.
Yep the shower was the first thing on my mind as soon as i had given birth and held my baby. DS was the next day.
Just question to do with the lochia. I am sure it is normal, but i completely soaked a pad and my pj's within the hr of giving birth...so my question is if you maybe sat up on the bed and fed your baby before getting up to have a shower would the lochia be a bit less to the point where you would completely soak your pj's as well??
I kinda felt a bit embarrassed sending DF home with bloody PJ's to wash.....probably shouldn't have considering what he just saw
I think if bubby is fairly clean then waiting till you get home would be fine too! I think with DD I gave her a bath on day 2 but only really because she had a big crusty, bloody patch stuck in her hair right on top of her head! Not very appealing to our visitors in hossy
I had a shower in the birth suite after I was all sewn up, and after DD had her first feed (maybe around 2 hours after she was born). I did use a yummy shower gel because I felt and looked pretty gunky! But I do think waiting until bubs has latched on to the boob for the first time before using nice smelly bath products, is definitely the way to go. We were told the nipple gives off the same scent as amniotic fluid so that bub knows where to latch on to in that early time. Must be a real comfort for a newborn to smell that scent which would be so familar to them, especially after they have just entered the world which is so different to the womb.
Awww, makes me think of all that beautiful, soft newborn skin that is just so kissable!!
Will the midwives offer me the opportunity to give our baby its first bath within 24hrs after the birth? Or will they just do it without me? I would hate for that to happen!
Should I put this in my birth plan?? Ie. baby only to be bathed by Mum & Dad.
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first bath/shower
- I thought it was just the best thing ever. She had a bunch of meconium in her hair that I had been staring at for two days and it made me soooooo happy to wash it out and make her little head all clean.
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