Swaddled Bathing in the NICU

One of the simplest and common basic care giving practice in the neonatal intensive care unit is bathing newborns. However, bathing can be extremely stressful for a newborn, especially a premature newborn. Liaw, Yang, Yun, & Yin (2006) discovered that behavior and physiological stress are major problems during routine conventional bathing. Conventional bathing can result in a decrease in heart rate, decrease in oxygen saturation, and extra energy expenditure from excess movement or temperature instability (Quraishy, K, Bowles, & Moore, 2013). Despite the stress that occurs during conventional bathing, bathing is important in order to remove contaminants from the skin as well as promote bonding between the parent and child. Research has revealed changes to the conventional bathing process that reduces stress, while providing the benefits that bathing affords. The process is known as Swaddled Tub Bathing