Temperature in newborns: norm and pathology

It often happens that parents can not clearly assess the condition of the baby. And the main reason for concern is the temperature in newborns. Therefore, it is necessary to know what to regard as the norm, and what is the pathology in the field of thermoregulation of the baby's body of the first weeks of life.

About the physiology of the baby

What is the normal temperature of a newborn baby? Neonatologists - doctors who observe babies immediately after birth - give an unambiguous answer: from 36.5 to 37.4 ^o C. This range is explained by the fact that the thermoregulation mechanism of the baby has not yet stabilized. Therefore, if the conditions for measuring this parameter (method and time) change, you can get new results each time.

So, the temperature in newborns is usually examined in four places: in the mouth, in the rectum, underarm and in the groin area. It is worth mentioning that, depending on where the measurement of this parameter takes place, its indicator also differs. The highest temperature can be obtained rectally and reach 37.4 ° C. The lowest temperature is measured by axillary measurement.

The normal temperature of a newborn baby also varies, depending on when it is measured. Thus, the lowest values are in the morning, but in the evening they can reach the upper limit of the specified range.

Why conduct such measurements, especially if the baby sleeps well, eats and shows excellent signs of activity characteristic of him at this age. The answer is simple - to help regulate thermoregulation.

Tracking the temperature can give an answer why the child suddenly becomes restless and cries, when he is not hungry, there is no colic, and his position is comfortable. What can parents do in this case? First, assess the state of the child - it's hot or cold. For this purpose, the temperature is measured orally, rectally or in the inguinal fold by means of a mercury or electronic thermometer.

Secondly, help him: if it's hot, then undress, and if it's cold, then, on the contrary, wear it. But these actions will be sufficient only if the temperature fluctuates within the range outlined above.

Pathology

If the temperature of newborn children goes beyond the above parameters, for pediatricians and parents is a signal about the pathogenic processes taking place in the body.

The first thing that parents should do if the measurement by the thermometer showed an increase of at least 0.1 degree from the upper limit, is to call the pediatrician. In the meantime, the doctor gets, cool the room to 19-20 degrees, rid the child of diapers, change into dry clothes and constantly offer a warm liquid, but do not give it by force, as it is likely to cause vomiting.

In no case should you be engaged in self-medication, put on suppositories or give syrups without prescribing a doctor. Only he is able to correctly assess the situation and prescribe adequate treatment.

Correct measurement

It also happens that the fever in newborn babies is not evidence of the disease, but an indication of the parents' mistake. And the thing is that adults sometimes do not know how to correctly measure in infants.

So, your preference should be given to a mercury or electronic thermometer. When conducting studies in the rectal or oral areas, the best, from the point of view of safety and accuracy of measurements, is an electronic thermometer. But in the groin area you can use any of these two types.

It should be remembered that the highest temperature is fixed in the rectum - up to 37.4 ^o C. In the mouth and groin zone, it rises to 37.2 ^o C. In this case, the mercury thermometer will take about 5 minutes to correctly evaluate the parameter being investigated, - Just a minute.

If parents take note of the information provided, they will be relatively easy to assess the state of their child.