There are so many firsts with newborns, and each one is so precious. We waited until Ava was 2 weeks old to give her first bath. I was so happy that the hospital we ended up at (a story for another time) was so respectful of all my wishes, and no bath was one of them. The creamy substance on your newborns body has immune properties and when left on leaves a layer of protection while your baby's immune system adjusts. It also allows for more uninterrupted skin to skin time with your baby in that first hour.
Waiting was a bit hard b/c I was looking forward to this special moment, but the fact that I had lots of stitches myself made it easier since I needed to wait about two weeks before getting in the tub myself. This moment, just her and I was so precious. Daddy took a few photos and hung out for a bit, but then left us to be for a while. I remember the soft blinking of her eyes and the way she relaxed into the water after a bit. I knew she was going to be a water baby having so much Cancer in her birth chart. I have always been a water lover myself, and I took a long soak in the tub almost every night when I was pregnant with her. I'm sure it was something she was already familiar with. I have still only given her one bath without myself in the tub with her and that was b/c of a huge poop explosion! Oh, and she did poop in the tub with me once, that was super fun. ;) It's our special time together though. There is something so sacred about this time with her. And I'm not quite sure what it is and why it is so specific to bath time, but every time I lay her on her back in the tub she looks just like me when I was a baby. It's like I'm staring into myself as a baby which is a very intense feeling. It's really the only time I fully see it in her though.
Do you remember your first bath with your little? How did it make you feel?
*Btw, all opinions I ever post on here about what we chose to do with our babe are purely my own personal experiences + opinions. I am a huge supporter of 'what works for you is best' or 'to each his own'. I am not here to tell anyone how to do something when it comes to their child and I hope that respect can be returned.*