My 2 week old baby runs hot - advice needed

[AOMum14]

Hello everyone,

I need some help controlling my anxiety and OCD. My beautiful 2 week old daughter runs hot - she feels hot to the touch to me as I run cold. We take her temprature with the same thermometer as our local A&E and had a baby doctor confirm that what we used was accurate.

She is always around the 37.2 to 37.5 mark. Always. In the first 2 weeks of my newborns life, we have gone to A&E twice due to her temprature raising to 37.8. Each time, she came back as being fit as a fiddle!

But my anxiety can't handle it. The midwives have said if her temprature goes to 37.6 or above to go A&E. They also said to only take her temprature if she felt hot to touch, but to me, she is always hot to touch!

We have tried reducing what she wears at night, changing the amount of layers, everything! She is just hot!

I know who to reach out to for medical advice but just wanted to get some insight - is there anyone else out there with a hot newborn? How do you deal with the anxiety? Would you be worried about a temprature of 37.4ish?

Thank you in advance!

I can see why this would be anxiety inducing!

Do you breast feed? Breastfeeding can help newborns regulate their temperature. If not then more skin to skin contact may help.

I suppose try not to over dress baby? Eg. Put on fewer layers than some of those baby clothes guides suggests if you know your little one runs on the warmer side.

I assume they are well generally?

What is she wearing in the evening? Do you have a room thermometer? I had the gro egg which told you the temp of the room & it came with a guide (can find online) & it would tell you what layers they should wear based on the temp & what tog grow bag etc

Honestly, get a different thermometer. Yours may not be calibrated right. Also, check your own or your DH’s temperature when you do hers as a baseline.

Hopefully as baby gets older you will get used to her normal and it will be less anxiety inducing. My first is so hot all the time, and any slight illness is an immediate temp of 40 plus. Second does not do this at all.

Hi everyone

Thank you for responding! To answer the different questions -

• she is exclusivley breastfed and other than temprature a healthy baby
• We use a Groegg, and follow the tog guidence. Room temp is between 18-20.
• Our thermeters are one time, disposable strips placed under babies arms. It was what they use at our local A&E and encouraged to use when we went in both times. (Called Tempa-dot)

Also, to mention that when at A&E, her temp was still consistently between 36.9 and 37.4.

I'm a HCP and tempadots are not easy to read. Can you get a digital thermometer with a probe?

I know it's hard but you need to stop taking her temperature if there are no other signs of her being unwell. There is no reason to regularly take a baby's temperature, and you are going to drive yourself mad with spiralling anxiety.

Get a Braun in-ear thermometer as you could easily be misreading the tempadots.

Don’t take her temperature unless she’s actually unwell.