Abstract
Although the first bath is essential to prevent cross contamination of body fluids between the newborn and the health care provider, it can be a significant factor influencing successful extrauterine transition and parental bonding during the early neonatal period. Bathing the infant is essential following birth; however, a bath can precipitate thermal instability and stress. The purpose of the proposed quality improvement project is to increase the rate of swaddle bathing among newborn infants admitted to the newborn nursery of a Level II and Level III maternity center and to evaluate infant outcomes regarding thermoregulation, parental involvement, and parental satisfaction with a swaddle bath. A total of 55 infants in the newborn nursery and his/her parents were evaluated for each infant’s axillary temperatures prior to the initial bath, immediately following, when a heat source was removed, and two hours following the initial bath and parental involvement and satisfaction with the infant bath. Participants included any infant admitted to the newborn nursery with a gestational 36 0/7 weeks and greater and his/her parents. 42 infants/parents were evaluated using the newborn nursery’s current infant bathing practice. A second group of 13 infants/parents were evaluated after healthcare providers were educated on the technique of swaddle bathing. Infants who were sponged bathed had an average temperature loss of 1.6 degrees Fahrenheit from immediately before to immediately following the bath, where as the swaddle bath group experienced and average temperature loss of 0.35 degrees Fahrenheit. Parental involvement and satisfaction with the infant swaddle bath improved following staff education. Providing an infant swaddle bath improves thermostability as an infant transition to extrauterine life while engaging parental involvement in newborn cares.