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.
With both DS and DD i had a shower after the birth in the birthing suite. (with DD i had to wait for the epudural to wear off so was about 4 hours after her birth.. but DS was straight after i was stitched).
With giving them a bath.. They were both the day after they were born in hospital as they were covered in blood still.
DanniiM.. with DS i was the same.. completely soaked my pad and clothes the first night after he was born. I was up at least 5 times that night changing. However with DD i had what was just like a heavy period. Nothing like is was with DS at all. Im wondering if it was like that because of her being a second baby? But also in saying that too.. i did BF DD straight after she was born, while i was waiting for the epudural to wear off and DS i didnt BF until the next day. So it may be possible?
Renstar.. not sure what your hospital is like but mine (and most i think), once bubs is born you look after them. They stay with you (unless in NICU or midwives are minding them while you get some sleep). So bathing, feeding and changing them is your responsibility. Plus i think most midwives know those 1st baths etc are a sentimental thing. By all means ask for help if you are unsure what to do. I had to with DS with all 3. But yeh i dont think they will bath bubs without you as they want you to learn and know how to bath bubs correctly before you leave the hospital.
Last edited by ShootingStar; November 11th, 2008 at 12:52 PM.
with first bubs his bath was done for me i regret letting them do it now,. i showered about 3 hrs later with other 3 i had home/waterbirths so they were cleanish anyway and i showered after i got out of pool which was usally about an hour or two afterward. i didnt use any soaps as i want bubs to smell me not soap.
Thanks Kellxx i was the same, with DS i just hopped up to have a shower within i would say 30mins and it wasn't until i tried to BF it all just started pouring out. So i think this time i will just try and stay put for a while, sit up in bed and BF first and then after a few hours go have a shower.
Thanks girls for your posts to answer my question. I remember the midwives in our hospital tour saying that the baby is with us from the minute he/she is born and never leaves our side so i guess i don't really have to worry about them washing bubs for me, as I want to do it myself (with DH)!! as with everything else too..... I don't want the midwives to take over!! lol
Ok its in my birth plan!! ** Only us to wash baby when we are ready ** DanniM - that's a good idea. I will remember to do that too ie sit or lie there for good 2hrs or so before getting up to shower if i can.....
What a good thread. I will make sure to add this to my plan too!
I was a bit clueless with my first and the midwife gave her a bath about an hour after she was born. She didnt ask if it was ok or if we wanted to be involved or anything. She just did it! Dh went over to see what was going on and he told me later that she was being a "bit rough" with her....
Second time, different hospy, they just waited til I was ready and let me do it myself. I think it was the next day..???
But i wont take the chance on missing out this time round!!!!! so thanks for the heads up. xo
Last edited by myson; November 11th, 2008 at 07:57 PM.
Pixie you gave me a flashback of DD's birth! As she was lifted onto my chest she sprayed wee and meconium all over my thighs and belly! There was no WAY i could have gotten that off without soap - it was like tar! LOL.
I definitely fed DD before showering and i always would. The first feed makes such a difference in terms of teaching bubs how to do it etc. so i had unbroken skin to skin until she'd fed and once she'd had a good suck i went off for my shower. I put 2 pads in my pants at a time for the first 3 days (on midwife's suggestion) and i ALWAYS flooded and had to change after every feed. The feeding makes the uterus contract, so you're always loosing lochia, but when you feed it all gets squeezed out. The more you're feeding the less you actually bleed because the contractions during a feed squeeze the uterus down hard and slow it down.
had a shower about 2 hours after DD was born, no soap, just warm water (had stitches). felt really nice! we bathed our DD twice in hospital and were in there around 4 days.
I had a shower about 2 or 3 hours after Claire was born. Had to wait for the ob to stitch up my lovely tears and I wanted to feed Claire first. I was so numb down there from the local for the stiches that I didnt realise **TMI** that I was standing in a huge pool of blood in the shower. GROSS!
Claire had her first bath when she was about 36 hours old.
Renstar - I gave my daughter her first bath. She stayed with me the whole time I was at the hospital and I wasnt about to let anyone take her out of my sight, not even a midwife.
Danniim - yeah I had that too, soaking through my pad in less than an hour. I had to get DH to take home my trackies to wash them and had to get him to bring more clothes for me. I ended up just wearing undeies and a pad and not pants because i was bleeding so much and soaking through straight away. I think I had to get 3 or 4 new sets of sheets each day for my bed.
DS was born at 4:42am and I had a shower the next morning around 9am after they took the catheter out. So the first 24 hours we had lots of skin to skin with no soapy scents. I didn't bathe DS until day 5 because I just didn't think about doing it!
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