"The senses of smell and touch are especially powerful triggers of infant and maternal behavior, because the nerve fibers lead directly to the amygdala, the seat of emotional memory and fear conditioning. The newborn’s sense of smell is especially acute in the first hours, triggering breast-seeking behaviors and movements. Washing or bathing the mother or baby removes olfactory cues that support breastfeeding and attachment, and thus should be avoided. Nowhere is this more evident that in the “breast crawl” (also referred to as “self attachment”): the instinctual movements of the newborn toward the breast in the first hour or so after birth. The groundbreaking research by Righard in 1990, showed a marked difference in “breast crawl” behaviors between babies who were removed for bathing and measurements than babies who weren’t. The sense of smell, and particularly the smell of amniotic fluid on the baby and a similar smell at the mother’s breast, appears to be one factor unlocking this sequence of instinctive behaviors. This is also borne out by the fact that when a baby’s hands are washed, she is less likely to do the instinctual hand-to-mouth movements typically seen in the first hour after birth. For these reasons, the first California Department of Public Health (to name one of many health authorities) recommends in its Model Hospital Toolkit: Babies are usually most ready to breastfeed during the first hour following birth. For the normal newborn this should occur prior to such interventions as: the newborn bath, glucose sticks, foot printing, and eye treatments. During the first day of life, skin-to-skin time and breastfeeding should take priority over other routine events such as infant bathing, pictures, and visitors. It’s also for these reasons that the WHO recommends, in an international context: “Ensure warmth by delaying the baby’s first bath to after the first 24 hours.” bestforbabes.org/booby-traps-series-why-the-newborn-bath-should-wait
Posted on: Mon, 24 Jun 2013 20:29:10 +0000
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