Baby’s Temperature
Management
Importance to keep a newborn warm:
Why is it important to make
an extra arrangement to keep a newborn warm?
In fact, under the age of
11 months and especially from the date of delivery to 1 month of a baby,
becomes a most difficult time for it.
Babies have difficulty maintaining their
temperature at birth and in the first day of life. They come out wet and lose
their body-heat quickly. If they get cold they use up energy and can become
sick. Low Birth Weight and Pre term Babies are at greater risk at
getting cold.
Know these terms, too:
Question: What is the normal weight of a
newborn baby?
Answer: A newborn
baby’s normal weight is ‘2 kg 500 grams’ and above. So, A 3 kilograms weighted
newborn will also be considered as normal- weight baby.
Question: What
weight is considered as Low Birth Weight (LBW) for a newborn?
Answer: Weight under 2 kg 500grms of a newborn is
considered as Low Birth Weight (LBW).
Question: When a
newborn is called a Pre term Baby?
Answer: A mother’s normal pregnancy period is of 9
months. When a baby-birth takes place under ‘8 months 15 days’, that newborn is
considered as Pre term Baby.
When does a newborn get cold?
Most newborns lose heat in
first minute after delivery. They are born wet. If they are left wet and naked,
they lose a lot of heat to the air. A newborn baby’s skin is very thin and its
head is big in size compared to its body. It loses heat very quickly from its
head. Babies don’t have the capacity to keep themselves warm. If the new born
baby is not properly dried, wrapped and its head is not kept covered, it can
lose 2 to 4 degree Celsius temperature within the 10 to 20 minutes. That is why
it is most important to arrange to keep a newborn warm, continuously.
Know these terms:
Question: What is
the term for a situation when a baby’s temperature falls below 97°F.
Answer: When a baby
has a temperature below 97°F, means the baby is getting cold. In other words,
its body temperature is going down from the normal temperature.
Question:
What is the term for a situation when a baby's temperature falls down below
95°F?
Answer:
When a baby has a temperature below 95°F, It means, it suffers from
Hypothermia.
Question:
What happens to a baby with Hypothermia?
Answer:
A baby, who is cold below the body temperature of 95°F, suffers from:
Decreased ability to suckle
at the breast, leading to poor feeding and weakness.
·
Increased susceptibility to
infections.
·
Increased risk of death,
especially in low birth weight condition and pre-term baby.
Question: How
can you tell if a baby is Hypothermic?
· Answer: The early sign of
Hypothermia is cold feet.
·
Then, the body becomes
cold.
·
The best method is to
measure the baby’s body temperature.
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