BABY'S FIRST BATH TIPS
When one of your hypnobirthing mums sends you this! SHARED WITH PERMISSION obviously. A sneak peak into such an intimate time of sharing a bath with her baby for the very first time. He is just over a week old!
In her words:
“I LOVED being in the water with him. It felt like the closest feeling of being reunited with him in my tummy. Very sensual. I wasn’t sure how he’d like it, but he was so calm and content. I believe water is extremely powerful and being in water together felt completely natural. We had a warm bath at 37 degrees and I added just a couple of drops of lavender oil for the soothing smell (and suppose to be good for healing down below - double win!) When we got out of the bath he was still totally content when I handed him to Daddy to be wrapped in a towel.”
I mean, to say we have got one smitten kitten here is absolutely hitting the nail on the head for how this first time mother feels. Her name is Natalie, and she attended my group hypnobirthing classes back in January 2020. Her plan for her entire pregnancy was to birth her baby in hospital. However, with Covid-19 and all the restrictions within maternity care/choices in April, Natalie completely changed her plans, flipped her birth preferences by 180 degrees, sprinkled some glitter, added a cherry on top, went the full hog and planned a home birth (with an IM) 3 weeks before her due date! She took hold of those reigns and made her birth experience unique to her own circumstances.
Her experience and her outcome has been…extraordinary. Glorious. Challenging. Powerful. Instinctive. Primal. Honest. Tender. Strong.
To receive this photo of her and her son (among other beautiful snaps) and her lovely words has just made me smile from ear to ear.
So my question to you is, do you know the benefits of sharing a bath with your baby? I remember Holly Whilloughby was a massive fan with her 3rd child. He had reflux and it was one of the only ways she could soothe him. He use to breastfeed when he shared a bath with her. How gorgeous is that?
Think about how it feels for you when you slip yourself into a bathtub full of warm water. Glorious isn’t it? Soothing. Relaxing. Eases those tensions away.
Now image a little baby who is so use to being surrounded by warm water inside their mothers womb. The swishing sounds, the warmth and muffled noises. It is familiar to them. Below are some benefits of sharing a bath for both mother and baby.
Skin to skin (regulates baby’s heart rate and temperature.)
Encourages baby to latch on to the breast to feed
Mimics womb-like environment for baby
Mother gets to bathe, soothe her bits, heal, lay down and rest at the same time
Incredible bonding time together providing an abundance of oxytocin together for both mum and baby.
Sound right for you? Give it a go.
Have someone with you who can pass your baby to you and wrap them in a nice warm towel again afterwards, so you don’t have to try and get out of the bath together. One slippery human is enough when trying to get out of a slippery tub, let alone two!
Have everything to hand such as a bath sponge or little flannel. No need for products with such a tiny newborn. Just a drop of lavender oil into the water or a dash a breast milk will sooth your baby’s delicate skin.
If your baby is hungry, feed them.
Trust your instincts and take a long bath or a short soak depending on how your baby feels. A mother’s instinct is real and powerful!
Enjoy!
