Research on the practice of massaging the head of a baby with hot water and ointments in Ghana. By Dzamesi Yael (Ph.D. in Science Education)
Hot water bath - Kofi.
Abstract.
During the bath, the hot towel was placed directly on the anterior fontanelle. As a result of that, the anterior fontanelle was continually under a high temperature of at least 40 to 41 degrees Celsius. The temperature over the neck mainly indicated the temperature of the blood flowing back from the brain to the body. Three minutes after the temperature over the neck rose to 39 degrees Celsius, there was a drastic change in the behavior of the baby, he fell asleep. He woke up when the temperatures over the neck and the anterior fontanelle were less than 37 degrees Celsius. Kofi suffered from unnatural sleep which was suspected to be unconsciousness.
Watch "Video 2" of the hot water bath and read the conversation of the women following the video.
The following Figure 2, describes the changes in the body heat measured in degrees Celsius over two different spots on the head during the bath. Brown line represents the changes of body heat measured over the neck, and yellow line represents the changes of body heat measured over the anterior fontanelle.
Three parameters are described along the horizontal (x) axis:
1. The numbers in an increase order represent the time that passed during the bath in minutes.
2. Under the minutes are the stages of the bath.
3. Under the stages of the bath is the behavior of the baby, which is written in red color.
No hot water was added to the initial amount of water in the bucket during the bath. ​
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Figure 2: Massaging and bathing the baby with hot water - Kofi.
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Kofi is an example of a bath with hot water (Figure 2). His behavior was completely different from Vincentia (Figure 1). The temperature over his anterior fontanelle rose above 40 degrees Celsius after 3 minutes from the beginning of the bath and remained so for the next 7 minutes. The hot towel was placed directly on the anterior fontanelle, and it was continually under a high temperature of at least 40 to 41 degrees Celsius. Subsequently, the temperature of the neck was elevated because the blood that flowed in the vein of the neck, from the brain to the body was heated too. It reached its maximum of 39 degrees Celsius (marked with red circle in figure 2). At this temperature there is an alternation of the function of the Blood Brain Barrier. Then, it took additional 3 minutes to see a drastic change in the behavior of Kofi even though the neck temperature dropped (marked with blue circle in Figures 2). After 7 minutes of the bath, Kofi, who had been crying from the beginning of the bath, suddenly fell asleep, as was described by the women in "why the practice is done", Table 1, question F. His eyes were shut, his hands were dangling freely with no resistance. Attempting to press an arm of a sleeping baby to his or her body will cause the baby to force the arm out of the tight position even though he or she are asleep. However, Kofi did not show any resistance when a thermometer was pushed under his armpit and his arm was held tight to his body. This indicated that probably he was not asleep but laid in a prostrated position which was alarming and led to the suspicion that he was unconscious for 5 minutes (from 7 up to 12 minutes to the bath, Figure 2). When the grandmother had finished massaging the head and started massaging the body, Kofi woke up (12 minutes to the bath). By that time, the temperature over the neck was 36.8 degrees Celsius, and the anterior fontanelle was 36.6 degrees Celsius (Figure 2). From that time, he remained awake and quiet until the end of the bath.
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Video 2: The sleeping baby.
The following conversation was between the women (W) who took the video and the mother (M) of the baby while the grandmother (G) was bathing the baby.
The cries of a baby on the background in the video belong to the child of the woman who took the video.
(W) Why does the baby not cry?
(M) Because my mother uses very hot water.
(G) They told them in the hospital not to use hot water, but the hot water is the best.
(W) But the water is so hot, you can feel it even if you put your finger in the water. Why do you use such hot water?
(G) If you do not use hot water it means you did not bath the baby.
(W) Do you put the towel on the soft spot (fontanelle) for a long time?
(G) Yes.
(G) The baby is asleep. (The grandmother says fondly looking on the baby).
(W) The baby is very pretty.
As you watch the video you can see from time to time the vapors coming out from the bucket and from the towel after the grandmother had squeezed the water out of it. The temperature of water from which we can see vapors coming out of it is around 55 degrees Celsius. You can hardly touch this water.
Is this baby asleep or unconscious from the heat?
Is the brain of this baby under hypethermia or even heat shock?
The baby is unconscious and his brain in under hyperthermia and even heat shock.
For more explanations read the discussion about the results on "Hyperthermia of Kofi and Kwesi" page. For understanding the possible damage to the brain read the literature on "Past research in animals offspring", "Molecular changes under hyperthermia", and "Robb ointment effect" pages.