The joy every wife is looking forward to is that time when she gets a missed period and the test done confirms that she is pregnant. That awesome feeling, joy, and ecstasy knowing that in the next couple of months she is going to carry her baby.
From that moment in Africa, when she finally gets to tell family members and friends, everyone begins to count the days, marking the calendar and keeping an eye on the clock till when they finally hear the news, “she has put to bed.”
Family members all scream, and laugh, everyone is excited and finally, the husband is termed “A man.” That beautiful moment when she gives the final push with all of her might and the baby comes out; the final first cry of the baby brings tears of joy to her eyes. She has finally created her kind.
For the new mom, there are feelings of fear, being unskilled in taking care of a baby, and most especially giving the baby a bath. When I gave birth to my first child and my mom gave me the baby one evening, she said, “Today, I need to watch you bathe the baby so you can learn the skills.” There were a lot of mixed feelings running inside me, the chills it gave me. How was I going to be able to bathe the baby with so many skills like mom does? Oh God! please help me. Yes, of course, you guessed right, I almost strangled the baby while giving her a bath. For heaven’s sake, this was my first time and you can’t blame me for it. I could hear my mum scream, ”You’re strangling the baby ...” before she eventually collected the baby from my hands and took me slowly through a series of steps that I will show you now.
The typical Nigerian woman who wants to bathe her baby rolls her wrapper tied at the waist to the hip area leaving the thighs bare enough for the baby to rest on while bathing goes on. Things needed for this bath consist of:
1]. A plastic bathtub.
2]. A wash bowl.
3]. Warm water.
4]. Small washcloth.
5]. Soap.
6]. Newborn soft foam/soft sponge.
7]. Baby cream(I prefer using a mixture of Shea butter and coconut oil).
8]. Methylated spirit.
9]. Mentholatum.
10]. Newborn towel.
11]. Baby diaper.
12]. Baby clothes.
13]. Baby comb.
For most Nigerian women, they prefer bathing their babies in the room of the house, switching off the fan, and closing the windows to create warmth for the newborn baby while the bath is being taken. Preparing the baby’s bath water is very important, the water should be warm and not too hot with a small washcloth in it, helping to clean the soap gently off the baby’s face.
i) it’s preferable to sit on a stool to do this task with feet in the plastic bathtub so the water could drain into it.
ii) Remove clothes gently from the baby’s body allowing the baby to rest on the barre thighs.
iii) Gently pour the warm water onto the baby’s tender skin using the washcloth (I prefer using the washcloth to do this task because it helps one control the amount of water being poured, so water doesn’t mistakenly get into the nose of the baby).
iv) Take the soft foam or soft sponge with soap and gently give the baby a sponge bath, carefully cleaning the armpit, the neckline, all over the rest of the body including the genital parts(At this point extra care needs to be taken in holding the baby because they could be extra-slippery and you don’t want baby falling off your arms do you?)
v) Use the washcloth again and pour water on the body whilst carefully holding the baby with your hands resting on your thighs. (Most times while bathing the baby I prefer to allow the baby to rest the head at the upper thigh and the feet downwards while my arms gently support the legs of the baby from sliding downwards. My arms act as a stopping point for the baby).
vi) Extra care should be taken when washing the head. Rub a little amount of soap carefully on the head and face paying close attention to the eyes. Use the washcloth with moderate water to clean the face gently. Holding the head use the washcloth and squeeze water over the head carefully not allowing the water to get into the nose. (At this point, the baby’s head should be facing my feet as the baby rests gently on the palm of my hands. This enables me to have control over the baby’s head and helps me to wash off the soap carefully from the baby’s face and not allow soap get into the baby’s eyes. The baby’s head is also raised above the body for better control too).
Now the baby is clean. To massage the baby, add more hot water to the water which by now has cooled down.
When massaging the body of the baby with the hot water, a point to note is this: the water should not be too hot, squeeze all the water from the washcloth leaving the washcloth only with the steam of the water, and always the first test the hotness of the cloth by using it on your skin, if it doesn’t hurt so much, then it’s alright for the baby’s tender skin. It is the warmth on the washcloth that massages the baby and gives a soothing relief to the baby’s joints.
To massage the newborn:
I) Use the warm cloth and gently massage the arm joints of the baby’s hands.
II) Next also massage the knees of the baby at the same time bending the knees.
III) Massage the tummy lightly all around the navel. And also lightly on the navel
IV) Lastly the warm cloth should be put over the head, by now baby should be feeling relaxed. Use the baby’s towel to clean the baby dry.
Once you’re through with the steps above, you can gently apply the baby’s body cream and petroleum jelly around the baby’s buttocks before wearing the diaper and clothing. Comb the hair slowly to prevent it from tangling. Don’t forget to wrap the flannel around the baby’s body to prevent the baby from catching a cold.
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