http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ePrgHXcRRtU&feature=related

You will need to skip the first couple of minutes to get to the bathing phase but I am sure will understand my alarm at seeing this brand new human being handled in such a cavalier manner.

As someone who has spent a chunk of time working with mums and newborns I would like to give some reasons why manhandling infants in this way is so dangerous:

current thinking is that vernix, the waxy white substance on your baby’s skin continues to serve a purpose days after they emerge from their watery world. The vernix is not dirty and after wiping off any small amounts of blood that may be on the skin and excess vernix, the rest should be left to sink into the skin of its own accord. It forms a barrier against infection in the first few days of transition into living in the air.

NEVER hold your baby directly under running water. As anyone who has given a great yelp of surprise when water temperature changes while they are in the shower will attest, plumbing is not an exact science and your baby could end up getting burned or blasted with icy water.

In the first hour of life a baby is primed to imprint his people and his surroundings. This is a time when his system is flooded with oxytocin and neural pathways are forming at a rate never to be replicated. If you give your baby a negative experience with water in the first hour of life, it can lead to an aversion that will be very difficult to overcome.

Distressing a newborn before they have had a chance to breast feed can cause numerous problems, some of which are serious enough to sabotage breast feeding in the short to medium term. A baby that is distressed as the one we are seeing here is being flooded with adrenalin. This causes a brief burst of energy followed by exhaustion just when he needs to be learning to latch onto the breast and bring his mother’s milk in. This exhaustion can lead to the baby not getting enough colostrum at a vital time and a poor latch.

Never hold (notoriously slippery) babies with one hand in the manner of this nurse.

Below is a film of a mother bathing her newborn. Note how her hand is scooped behind his neck, supporting his head and her hand has a firm grip on his arm. This way his head cannot be submerged. Note too the cloth on his tummy: that makes him feel more secure and allows him to enjoy his bath. Bathing your baby can be a wonderful bonding experience!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rZb3x78kwc0&feature=related
There are many other resources online as to how to bath a baby but if you are unsure ask a health professional. Perhaps not one of the ones in the top video though!

Teach. Watch. Protect.