Kissing babies

[Herbatnikdip]

Would like some thoughts/ any solid medical advice out there? I’m a new dad 34 - not sure how this parenting thing works.
My wife and I are proud parents to a healthy little girl 8 weeks old pre vaccinations- GP date a bit delayed.
My wife is nervous about anyone touching the baby including family. I have to wash hands before I hold her. She does not allow me to kiss her face although she has let me kiss the back of her head. In the last couple of weeks we have had to shower her every time I kiss anywhere near her face/ ears? It’s a very natural impulse to me and I can’t understand her worry.

What is common practice and is this really reasonable to expect even the parents not to kiss their child?

Sorry but this doesn’t sound normal. It’s reasonable to ask relatives not to kiss baby but not the mother and father.

How is your wife doing? This is a classic symptom of post natal depression.

Showering a baby every time her father who lives with her kisses her is not common practice. Are you ill or have something she is specifically concerned you are going to pass on to the baby?

This isn’t typical. I would watch out for PND

That very much does not sound normal behaviour to me. Kissing podgy baby cheeks is part and parcel of being a parent / grand parent and I actually wouldn’t be dictated to by my partner on that. The showering part also does not sound reasonable. I don’t know if it’s a symptom of PND but it certainly sounds like a health anxiety. Maybe speak to a health visitor.

It's not normal. Maybe encourage her to speak to your health visitor or gp. Possibly issue. Mothers and Fathers can kiss babies and hold them without worry unless you have a cold sore. Normally given advice to not let others to kiss newborns.

Definitely not normal. I understand no kissing lips whilst they're this tiny and the same with hands (as they suck on them), but unless you have history of coldsores she's being massively overkill

I kissed both of mine endlessly as newborns, can't help yourself, they're so tiny, adorable and you're just so in love.

I hope you don't miss out too much

From the title I thought this was going to be some grandparent getting annoyed at being asked not to kiss a baby despite all the research saying only parents (and those within the immediate household) should kiss a newborn and that is regardless of vaccine status.

Definitely sounds like potential PND.

Parents kissing fine, grandparents and others no.