Delayed Newborn First Bath and Exclusive Breastfeeding Rates.

OBJECTIVE: To develop an evidence-based practice project to evaluate the effect of delaying a newborn's first bath on exclusive breastfeeding rates at discharge.

DESIGN: A pre- and post-implementation evaluation of the effect of delaying the first bath on exclusive breastfeeding rates at discharge.

SETTING: A postpartum unit in a southern California community hospital.

PARTICIPANTS: Breastfeeding dyads of women and newborns (>37 weeks gestational age) who were admitted to the postpartum unit.

INTERVENTION/MEASUREMENTS: Postpartum nurses involved in the unit practice council, in collaboration with unit leadership, changed the newborn's first bath practice through development of a bathing guideline, nurse education, and mother education. Measurements of the practice change included time of the first bath and exclusive breastfeeding rates at discharge.

RESULTS: We observed an increased time for the newborn's first bath from 6.88 hours to 13.71 hours (p ≤ .001). The number of times women chose not to bathe their newborns while in the hospital also increased by approximately seven times, from 0.16% to 1.1%. The rate of exclusive breastfeeding at discharge did not change significantly after implementation (p ≥ .05), regardless of when the first bath was given.

CONCLUSION: Delaying a newborn's first bath was not associated with an increase in exclusive breastfeeding rates. More research is needed to determine the effect of bath times.