My baby got really cold - I feel so guilty and worried

[Toadhall44]

Hey,

The last 4 days with my 12 week old have been difficult. She has gone from a calm chill baby, to one that has a bit of colic. Took her to doctors on Thursday evening who said they thought she was fine but to take her to A&E if anything gets worse or changes.

Also on Thursday morning she had her 12 week vaccine so has been battling and on and off low grade fever since. Yesterday afternoon, her temp got to 37.9 and we decided to give calpol as my HV said it may make her feel more comfortable.

I then said to may partner that we should take her temp throughout the night in case it spikes again. I dressed her in her usual attire. And then...we both fell asleep and didn't set an alarm to wake us up.

My partner woke this morning and went to look at my baby and he said he immediatly felt she was colder than usual. Take her temp and she is 36.1. Her average temp has always been 37. (Under arm temp, NHS guidence is to only take temp under-arm as preferred method)

I'm feeling so so guilty - its just been a really rough few day and I'm so tired. She was cold all night and I didn't know. And I'm so so worried as she is a warm baby. This sort of happened the night before also - normal/low grade fever in day, and temp suddenly drops at night.

The only other thing that has changed is her arms are 'out' as we have stopped swaddling.

She is feeding fine and sleeping well. Do I need to be worried? Would she have woken if she had been cold? I'm worried that in the night she could have been any temp without me knowing.

Many thanks in advance

She would have woken if truly too cold. Have you taken her temp again?

I suggest you try to relax a little, stop looking at the thermometer and try to go by how your baby presents overall.

I wouldn’t be setting an alarm to wake up to check her temp. She will let you know if she’s not happy.

If she was cold she would have woken

A 36.something temp is fine for a baby. They would have woken if cold, try to relax a little.

Oh bless you, everything is such a worry with babies. She honesty would have woke if she was too cold, it’s more of a danger for her to be too warm then too cold, so please don’t feel guilty. These babies are such a blessing but my god it’s stressful haha!

It's normal to drop a degree when sleeping.
Your baby was not hypothermic.

Your baby’s temperature sounds perfectly normal. I wouldn’t have considered 37.9 as a temperature or 36.1 as cold. With kindness… step away from the thermometer it’s making you stress and second guess yourself. Your baby is fine.

Cold babies cry
Hot babies die.

She was fine.

Why on earth do you know the average underarm temperature for your baby?

36.1 is a normal temperature. Thermometers aren't always accurate either

I agree with the PPs. At 12 weeks she is totally capable of waking and crying if uncomfortable, so she is fine.
I remember once when my child was a baby. We live in a hot country and it was summer so her room was pretty warm and she'd been sleeping in just a nappy for weeks. We then went to a holiday to a cooler house by the coast. I was very tired any misread the room thermometer, and put her to bed in just a nappy again. She slept the whole night just fine, just had cold arms and legs when she woke. It turned out the room was at least 5° colder then her bedroom at home. I felt guilty but she was totally happy and fine!

She would have let you know if she was uncomfortably cold, babies are much more likely to wake when cold if its an issue than they are if they're hot which is why so much guidance is centred around making sure a room isn't too hot.

You need to put that thermometer away and only use it when you really need too. You also need to cut yourself some slack, you are first time parents so obviously will be a bit nervous but honestly when a baby is not happy they let you know. There is no need whatsoever to be setting an alarm. She will be fine.

Babies are the alarm clocks - when something's not right, they're gonna let you know about it! ❤️

Exactly this. I know it's hard not to get stressed about them but try to relax a little. You're all tired. Baby will be fine.

Under arm is normally a bit lower than anal so she was probably a bit warmer than the reading. She'll be fine!

36.1 is normal.

if she were cold overnight she would’ve cried.

It's much safer to be too cool than too warm! The baby will be fine ,I think we all need an instruction manual when taking the infants home ! It's very nerve racking with a first as well .Try not to worry too much ,sounds like you are both amazing parents to me . Just try to relax a little ,you will soon know if babes not happy!

Both my partner and I run cold and so does our eldest daughter. If I felt my 12 week old, I feel she is hot all the time.

For an appointment with a paediatric nurse, she started to reassure me that my baby didn't have a temperature. She then put her hand on my babies chest and said "ohhhh, she does feel a little too warm here", took her temperature and she was 36.6. She agreed with me that how she felt was incredibly decieveing.

On another occasion, after having her 8 week vaccine, both my partner and I were feeling confident we would be able to tell by touch. But just before bed, we decided to check where she was to be sure, both commented that she almost felt cooler than normal and she was 38.1. She wasn't acting any differently - no signs at all. We even tested with different devices to be sure and yeah - a temp.

Mix that all in with a healthy dose of anxiety, trauma from a previous birth and BAM. A mother who knows to almost the exact reading if her babies average temp.

My toddler though? I took her temperate when she was a small baby and I was a new first time mum but I hardly ever take her temp. Probably once in 2025. Because I can tell by touch 🙂