LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Babies at Baptist Health will get more relaxation in the form of a popular bathing method.
Immersion swaddle bathing allows infants to be wrapped up in a specially-designed fleece blanket that traps the warmth from the water against the baby’s skin more effectively than regular blankets.
Officials said since babies do not have excess fat, they can become cold quickly or hypothermic during a traditional bath.
The babies will be placed in a TurtleTub, a specially designed tub for hospitals that features a sloped surface, allowing the infant to recline safely in the warm water. The tub mimics a mother’s womb, giving the newborns a sense of comfort.
This means more relaxing - and less crying - for babies.
The first phase of swaddle bathing began in late May at Baptist Health in the NICU.
“We are now expanding from the NICU to the Nursery,” Nurse Educator Lauren Buchwald said. “This is a standard of care and we have the tool to help facilitate it. It’s very exciting.”
Hospital officials said immersion swaddle bathing would be used for all babies would are considered medically stable.
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