In plain words
Hypothermia means the body has lost more heat than it can make. In a newborn the risk is real. Babies have a large surface area for their size, and they cannot shiver to warm up. A wet newborn loses heat quickly through evaporation, which is why drying matters right after birth. Low temperature can also cause low blood sugar, so the two are often checked together. Newborn temperature is usually taken under the arm or in the rectum. WHO guidance counts a temperature below 36.5 degrees Celsius, or 97.7 degrees Fahrenheit, as cold stress in newborns. Feeling cool to the touch is not a reliable sign on its own. A baby who feels cool, seems sleepy, or is not feeding needs a call to the provider the same day. A baby who is hard to wake needs emergency care.
The deeper version
Neonatal hypothermia is commonly defined as an axillary or core temperature below 36.5 C. WHO guidance (1997) uses the term cold stress for this range. Newborns lose heat through conduction, convection, radiation, and evaporation, and their surface-area-to-mass ratio is far higher than an adult's. Nonshivering thermogenesis in brown adipose tissue consumes glucose and oxygen, so cold stress increases glucose use and can precipitate hypoglycemia. Preterm infants are at higher risk of respiratory and metabolic complications after hypothermia. Thermal care at birth, including drying, , and warmed surroundings, is a standard part of newborn resuscitation (Neonatal Resuscitation Program, American Academy of Pediatrics and American Heart Association, 8th edition, 2021).
Where it comes up
- Bathing a newbornBaby Basics
- Fever in a newborn is an emergencyBaby Basics
- When to call the pediatrician (and when to go in)Baby Basics
What mothers here say about hypothermia
No one has posted under this term yet.
Sources
- World Health Organization — Thermal protection of the newborn: a practical guide, 1997
- American Academy of Pediatrics and American Heart Association — Neonatal Resuscitation Program, 8th edition, 2021