The Effect of Timing of Initial Bath on Newborn’s Temperature

Abstract

Objective:To determine the effect of the early timing of an initial bath on newborn temperature. Design:Random assignment to group, comparative study. Setting:Newborn nursery of a 20-bed obstetric unit in a regional hospital in the Midwest. Patients:80 healthy, full-term newborns.Interventions: 40 neonates were bathed at 1hour of age and 40 were bathed at hours of age. Main Outcome Measures:Axillary temperatures were measured before the admission bath and at 10, 20, and 60minutes after the bath with disposable thermometers; the maximum drop in temperature also was determined. Results:No significant differences were noted in axillary temperatures between the two groups before the bath or at 10, 20, or 60minutes after the bath. The groups did not differ significantly by gender, birth weight, length of bath in minutes, room temperature during bath, Apgar score at 5minutes, or gestational age. Conclusion:Healthy full-term newborns with an axillary temperature>36.8°C (98.2°F) can be bathed after 1hour of age when appropriate care is taken to support thermal stability.