For many years giving a newborn baby a bath soon after birth has been a commonly accepted practice, probably originating from parents and caregivers seeing their baby as soiled and wanting them to look clean. In recent years bathing has also played a role in medical beliefs about controlling possible blood-born infections such as Hepatitis B and C and HIV-AIDS.
While these factors have contributed to perpetuating routine bathing practices, other issues are now coming into play. Dermatologists (skin specialists) question the benefits of excessively bathing babies, especially with soaps, detergents, perfumed or medicated products, as they can irritate the baby's skin, drying it and making the baby more prone to rashes and skin infections.
The other issue is one of hospital-acquired infections. A baby is born with 'friendly' bacteria on their skin from contact with their mother and family. If this is washed away then foreign hostile bacteria from hospitals and caregivers may take over and cause infections of the baby's skin or umbilical cord. This is one of the many reasons (along with bonding and demand breastfeeding) behind encouraging babies to room in with the mothers in hospital, rather than cared for in a large nursery with other babies.
With all this in mind, there is no real medical reason why a healthy baby needs to be bathed soon after birth and many parents now wait a day or more before bathing their baby to allow the rich vernix cream often present their skin to soak in, as well as reducing skin irritations and possible infections. If you prefer your baby's bath to be delayed, request this or include it in your
birth plan. Most babies are born looking fairly unsoiled, but if you think they need to cleaned before grandma arrives, consider just wiping their face and scalp with a warm cloth, and/or their bottom without having a full bath (known as a top and tail). If you do bath your baby, use just plain water.