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Grand Rounds

Should We Hold Off on the Newborn Bath or Does Thermoregulation Kick In Early for Infants?

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BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE:

  • Kelly et al. (Journal of Obstetric, Gynecologic & Neonatal Nursing, 2018) sought to determine whether age at first bath affects thermoregulatory status

METHODS:

  • Quasi-experimental, mixed-model design
    • Between and within subjects comparisons
  • Participants
    • Healthy newborns
    • ≥37 weeks
    • Newborns were sponge bathed in the mothers’ rooms
    • Immediately after the bath, newborns were placed in skin-to-skin care for 60 or more minutes
  • 3 groups: Bath
    • 3 hours after birth
    • 6 hours after birth
    • 9 hours after birth
  • Primary outcomes
    • Axillary (core) temperature: Measured with a digital thermometer
    • Skin (body surface) temperature: Measured with a thermography camera
  • Temperatures were taken
    • Before the bath
    • Immediately after the bath
    • 5, 30, 60, and 120 minutes after the bath

RESULTS:

  • 75 participant newborns
  • There was a difference between the 3 and 9 hour groups (p=.0372)
    • Actual difference was not clinically significant (0.18°F / 0.10°C)
  • There were no statistically significant differences in skin temperature between groups
  • In all groups, axillary and skin temperatures initially decreased and then recovered after the bath

CONCLUSION:

  • Axillary and skin temperatures were not different between healthy newborns bathed at 3, 6, and 9 hours of age

Learn More – Primary Sources:

Effect of Timing of the First Bath on a Healthy Newborn’s Temperature

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Related ObG Topics:

Is Maternal Core Temperature Elevated Beyond a Critical Threshold During Exercise in Pregnancy?
Newborn Screening for Critical Congenital Heart Disease: Does Mandatory Pulse Oximetry Prevent Infant Death?

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