When baby is sick
Taking the baby's temperature
A newborn needs thermal protection. What is thermal protection? These are ways of taking the temperature of the baby to maintain a certain temperature that ensures the baby's health. The normal temperature for most newborns is 98.6 Fahrenheit.
This is important because a baby's body is more vulnerable to temperature changes. It can cool down and overheat more easily than an adult since it's not yet equipped with the ability to regulate temperature unlike adults.
A baby with a body temperature that is under or over the normal range is more vulnerable to sickness.
To be able to keep tabs of a baby's temperature, anyone who's taking care of the baby must learn how to monitor his or her temperature. Learning how to take the baby's temperature will make it easy for anyone to detect hyperthermia (overheating) or hypothermia (overcooling.) During early mornings, the baby's body is at its lowest temperature and this requires sampling its temperature to know if he or she is not overcooled. During the hottest time of the day, the baby needs to be checked for its temperature, too. Here are other situations that a baby may necessitate regular temperature check:
- If he or she is in a place where the environment's temperature is hard to control
- If the baby is born with a low weigh or if the baby is born sick
- If at birth the baby was resuscitated
- If the baby is confined to a hospital for any reason
- If the baby just got cooled down from hyperthermia or just got heated from hypothermia
During those situations, it is optimal for a baby to be checked for its temperature every 3 or 4 hours or at least 3 times a day.
How do you take the baby's temperature?
Collate the proper devices. One should get a thermometer that can read at least 98.6 Farenheit. When such thermometer is not able to detect the baby's temperature, that's a possible case of hypothermia and one should immediately take steps to re-warm the baby's body.
Generally, it is advised to take a baby's axillary temperature than its rectal temperature. The main reason is that it's a lot easier to get the temperature if it's checked through the baby's armpits than from its rectum. It's even safer and more hygienic. But if one learns that the baby is hypothermic the rectal temperature can produce more accurate temperature compared to the axillary temperature.
Steps in taking the baby's axillary temperature:
Before taking the baby's body temperature, make sure that the thermometer reads below 98.6 Farenheit. This can be accomplished by shaking the thermometer.
Don't insert the thermometer if the baby's armpit is dirty and / or wet.
Put the thermometer slowly under the arm of the baby and hold the arm down.
Let the baby stay in that position for about 3 to 5 minutes or if you are using a digital thermometer, wait until it beeps. Hugging the baby can help in securing the thermometer in his or her arm.
Then, remove the thermometer gently and read the thermometer.
If you are taking the rectal temperature of the baby, put some petroleum jelly on the thermometer to insert it more easily. Then, place the thermometer down the rectum for at most 2 centimeters deep. Hold it there for at least 3 minutes. Never leave the baby unattended if there's a thermometer in his rectum since any accident might happen.
Clean the thermometer properly afterwards. Then, keep it somewhere safe and out of children's reach.
Other ways to assess the baby's temperature is by looking at its nails. Blue or dark colored nails usually warn of hypothermia. The color and coldness of the baby's skin, particularly of the feet, can help one have an idea if the baby is too cold or too hot. The breathing and restlessness of a baby can tell one that the baby is feeling too hot.
These ways of checking the baby's temperature can be done more frequently especially if the baby is sick or very small.
With such information on how to check the baby's temperature there will be no excuse to be able to learn when your baby either needs a hug or needs to be hydrated.
|