The Effect of Palmar Grasp Reflex Stimulation on Physiological Parameters and Crying Time in the Newborn Bath

Bathing is essential for maintaining and improving the health of the newborn. It has numerous beneficial effects, such as cleaning and protecting the skin, preventing infections, cleaning unwanted substances, regulating blood circulation and the respiratory system, regulating body temperature, relieving pain, providing comfort, and supporting the parent-infant bond. Although bathing has many benefits, it is a stressful experience for newborn babies. Research on the effects of bathing on babies has shown that babies experience behavioral difficulties during bathing, such as crying, restlessness, hiccups, yawning, tremors, body looseness, looseness of the extremities, facial looseness, opening of fingers, and grimacing. Bathing may also lead to some physiological responses, such as hypothermia, hypoxia, dyspnea, cyanosis, desaturation, and tachycardia.Therefore, this study aimed to determine the effect of palmar grasp reflex stimulation during neonatal bath on the physiological parameters and crying time of the newborn.