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Childbirth

Share experiences and get support around labour, birth and recovery.

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Original poster

Was your baby cleaned after giving birth?

88 replies

MumtoBen · 22/04/2006 22:25

My baby was not cleaned after I gave birth. It was about 14 hours later (gave birth at midnight, got to wash him at about 2pm next day) before I was able to give him a bath. His hair and face especially were caked in blood. I thought he had black hair until I washed it and found it was in fact blonde. Is this normal?

OP posts:

Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

Set a reminder

sweetkitty · 24/04/2006 16:56

DD1 was bathed the day after she was born to try and wake her up enough to feed.

DD2 was about a week to 10 days before I bathed her (much to my mothers disgust as she believes they should be brought to you all washed and in a shawl!)

sweetkitty · 24/04/2006 16:56

DD1 was bathed the day after she was born to try and wake her up enough to feed.

DD2 was about a week to 10 days before I bathed her (much to my mothers disgust as she believes they should be brought to you all washed and in a shawl!)

anniemac · 24/04/2006 16:57

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Flum · 24/04/2006 17:00

My baby wasn't washed and she smelt like sweet biscuits. It was gorgeous. I didn't wash her for 3 days and when I did she never smelt the same again.

nailpolish · 24/04/2006 17:01

God i LOVE the smell of a babies head - the newer the newborn the better

if i could bottle it i would be millionaire

blueteddy · 24/04/2006 17:01

Both my DS's were not washed until the following day.

anniemac · 24/04/2006 17:03

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

7up · 24/04/2006 17:06

no, terrible aftercare i thought compared to my first ds. 2nd one born at 8.45 pm, after a terrible labour/birth, he shat and when my mum came late next morning he still had shat on him (i was exhausted and alone) and my mum bathed him for me

Mercy · 24/04/2006 22:20

Am I the only one to give birth to non-fragrant babies then/

not that I care really - but curious to know why did mine honk?

grannygoose · 24/04/2006 22:36

My DS had the blood on his head wiped off for his bounty foto, but wasnt bathed until his cord fell off - about day 10. MIL was horrified I'm sure!

Original poster

MumtoBen · 25/04/2006 17:50

A few of you have mentioned the newborn smell. He had this (even after his bath) for a few days. It was just amazing!!! The most beautiful smell ever! My skin and clothes reeked of it from holding him. My husband could smell it, but bizarrely my sister could not.

However after 10 days in an incubator without even a wash he was a bit stinky!

OP posts:

spinamum · 25/04/2006 17:59

they cleaned away the meconium, but the blood remained (bizarrely).

love the newborn smell. but only smell it on other's babies. maybe nxt one now i know what smell to smell (?) out for.

suedonim · 25/04/2006 20:30

Mercy, dd2 was rank when she was born, as well! Don't know why but she needed a bath to make her smell like a proper baby

CatherineG · 30/04/2006 22:10

Just after ds1 was born;
MW: do you want him cleaned up a bit or straight to you
Me: cleaned up
baby is cleaned and passed to me
Me (thinks): That's clean???????? what the hell was it like before!!!!

ds2 was an unassisted home birth (wasnt planned to be unassisted but these things happen.....) and we just wrapped him in a towel until someone arrived.

serenity · 01/05/2006 01:52

Mine were all handed straight to me. Most of the gunk then came off on the sheet/blanket we wrapped them in to keep them warm before dressing them. I'm pretty sure I didn't bathe any of them at least until after the cord dropped off either, although iirc DD had a lot of hair and I rinsed a lot of blood out of it the day after her birth.

earthmummy · 02/05/2006 12:18

I had skin-to-skin contact straight after my daughters birth. She smelt so beutiful and this special time together helped initiate breastfeeding. I wanted the vernix on her skin to soak in because this is very benificial to the newborns delecate skin. Looking back at her first photo's of her covered in vernix wonderfully camptures her newness.

Having her 'washed clean' just did not seem appropriate to me.

pol26 · 03/05/2006 22:43

I was left with baby for a while and then when I went onto the ward they bathed her. It was about a few hours later.

pol26 · 03/05/2006 22:43

I was left with baby for a while and then when I went onto the ward they bathed her. It was about a few hours later.

louise35 · 13/05/2006 20:56

My DD was given straight to me unwashed at my request. She was 2 weeks early and still covered in vernix and bits of blood but I did not want it any other way, skin to skin contact was lovely. She was wiped before I took her back to the ward and I think she was bathed on my third day in hospital. Its true though that they lose that lovely natural sweet smell once they've been bathed. They still smell nice but its a nice baby powder smell and not a natural smell. Her firt photo was of me lying on the bed having just given birth, with her lying on top of me with a lovely wet head and all her black hair stuck to her head in little curls, its beautiful. She's 11 now but I still can't forget that first cuddle, magical

dyzzidi · 13/05/2006 21:13

My dd was cleaned as i had a CS.

I will never forget the look on DH face when he realised they didn't deliver the baby take it away bath and dress it before letting you see it.

PrettyCandles · 13/05/2006 21:36

Our first was given straight to me, as I had requested, and a little while later was bathed by a midwife in the delivery room and dressed before being handed back. I wasn't asked, but had I been I would probably have said 'no'. He wasn't bathed again until we asked a midwife to teach us how to bath him the day we left hospital. Even so, there was still a little blood caked in his hair when we came home.

With our second my dh was offered the opportunity of giving her her first bath, again still in the delivery room. Again, I would have said 'no', but didn't want to rob dh of the pleasure - anyway, I didn't mind if it was him holding her, and I took some lovely photos. Afterwards, I bathed her when I wanted to on the ward (it makes a difference being experienced, second time around).

I don't think bathing a newborn is all that important - they're not actually dirty, it's just that we always think of babies as looking all rosy and clean. Well, mostly!

supakids · 13/05/2006 21:45

nope, 24 hours after leaving the hospital and safely home I had a shot at bathing him myself.

AMJ3 · 24/04/2012 23:24

1st two born in scotland and were not washed but cleaned thoroughly. this is after the skin to skin contact bonding moment. and they were bathes after 24 hours by the midwives.
3rd one in england, handed the baby over, they didnt even bother wiping him, his hair was caked in blood. and had to wash him down twice 48 hours later to get everything off.
i think level of care depends on where u r to be honest.

Flisspaps · 24/04/2012 23:33

Nope, and I didn't want him cleaned either. I wanted him in all his bloody, vernixy, poo-y glory.

He's 9 days old now, still not been bathed, he's been wiped down but not bathed.

cece · 24/04/2012 23:40

DD was washed the day after her birth by one of the nurses.
DS1 was washed in labour room as he had poo on him.
DS2 didn't have a bath for about 2 weeks!

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