Effect of Immediately Bathing on Temperature of Normal Newborn Infants in Ramathibodi Hospital

Abstract

         This retrospective, descriptive research design aimed to 1) examines the hypothermia rate amongterm newborns before and after bathing. 2) Examine the means of newborns’ temperature after bathing at 30, 60, 90, and 120 minutes.  The  newborn  samples were specifically selected by using these criteria; equal to or more than 37 weeks gestational age, more than 2300 grams of birth weight with no complications, and the APGAR Score of 7 or above at 5 minutes after birthing. All of the newborns were born at Ramathibodi hospital during January 1st, 2012 to December 31st, 2012. The data was retrospectively collected from the nursing record of newborn assessment and the newborn medical record. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze the data. The findings showed that there were 105 immediately bathed newborns during the one year period. Among 105 newborns, before bathing, group1, 27.6% (N=29) experienced hypothermia (below 36.E5°C. oJf Othe bUody RtemNperaAture)L. Group2, most (72.4%, N=76) had the body temperature equal to or more than 36.5°C. After bathing, the body temperature of the hypothermianewborns in group 1 had increased and had the mean body temperature reached 36.77 °C. at 90 minutes. For the newborns (group2) that did not experience hypothermia, the body temperature had dropped by 0.23 Celsius at 30 minutes after bathing. However, at 60 minutes after bathing, the body temperature then has increased and reached the same body temperature before bath. Then, at 90 minutes after bathing, the newborn temperature has increased to 36.94°C.. The results showed that immediate bathing may be provided to healthy, normal newborns under the warm environment and the bathing process should be done within five minutes.