The appearance of a child is always a new stage in the life of the family. Newly mum and dad try to provide the crumb not only with everything needed, but also with the best, carefully observe the behavior and condition of the baby, fixing every detail, every change. Of course, inexperienced parents have many doubts, questions and concerns related to the health and life of the baby: what temperature of the body in newborns, what should be the chair, how many times and when to feed the crumb - all this turns for parents into the most important life problems. We will talk about one of the frequent parental alarms in this article. It's about the normal body temperature of the newborn.
Body temperature in newborns is normal
Body temperature is the most important indicator of a person's health (ill health). It depends on many factors, both external and internal - the ambient temperature, air humidity, the state of the system of internal thermoregulation of the human body.
In children under 3 months of self-regulation of body temperature is not yet as effective as in adults. Newborns are very easy to freeze or vice versa, overheating. The task of parents in this period is to create the most comfortable for the baby living conditions. It is important to remember that in children up to 3 months, the cause of fever is not necessarily the development of infectious processes, it can be too hot air in the room, excess clothing, colic and even overstrain or prolonged crying. Normally, the body temperature of a newborn baby varies between 37-37.2 ° C. Of course, these indicators are averaged and suitable for children born healthy. But even in fully healthy children, in the first days after birth, there may be noticeable temperature fluctuations and its increase up to 39 ° C is not always a sign of the disease, most often the baby's body simply can not immediately adapt to life outside the mother's womb.
Measuring body temperature of a newborn
Three main methods are used to measure body temperature:
- Measurement of body temperature in the armpits.
- Orally (thermometer under the tongue).
- Rectal (temperature measured in the anus).
Of course, the body temperature is not the same in different parts of it. For axillary cavities, the norm for infants is 36-37.3 ° C, in the mouth (under the tongue) - 36.6-37.5 ° C, in the rectum - 36.9-37.5 ° C.
Of course, to measure the temperature of the baby's body is not so simple. The complexity of the process is further aggravated by the need to obtain the most accurate result, because raising or lowering body temperature can be an important symptom of the developing disease.
The most accurate and convenient way to measure body temperature in infants is rectal, when the thermometer is injected into the rectum.
The most comfortable for the baby and comfortable for the parents position is determined individually, although there are three most common variations that are suitable for almost everyone:
- The kid on his side, legs bent and pulled up to the tummy. One of the parents fixes them in this position.
- The crumb lies with your belly on your knees, your legs hang down.
- The child on the back, legs bent and pulled to the tummy, mom or dad holding them in this position.
Before the beginning of measurement it is necessary to grease a thermometer tip and an anus of the kid with vaseline or any other neutral fat cream. Pharmacies sell special thermometers for rectal measurement of body temperature. It is best to use just such. Do not forget about the importance of good fixation of hands and feet crumbs - chaotic gusts can cause intestinal injury.
Low body temperature of the newborn
Reduced body temperature in a newborn often indicates a hypothermia, or a general weakness of the body. It is also worth remembering that during sleep, the temperature of the human body is lower than during activity.
Do not panic if your baby's body temperature does not differ from the norm by more than 1 degree, and if there are no noticeable changes in the behavior and mood of the child. If the baby becomes sluggish, does not react to external stimuli, refuses to eat or constantly cries - immediately consult a doctor.