32+6 now home but always cold!

[Chelseerebecca1]

Hi guys,

This is my first thread and I'm not entirely sure I've got it in the right place but we shall see!

I had my daughter unexpectedly at 32+6, we were very fortunate that her lungs were developed and she only needed one night in NICU before spending 2 weeks in SCU and one week in TC with me.

She has been home with us now for a week and weighing 2.1kg and we just can't maintain her temp at all. We bought a Groegg which constantly tells us our house in 21 or 22 degrees so too hot yet at night, LO always feels cool to touch. To bed she wears a vest, sleepsuit and it's swaddled in a cotton blanket, do you think there is anything else I could be doing?

I'm very worried that if she's too chilly then she won't be gaining weight and could potentially end back up in SCU but I'm also overly paranoid about SIDS and am constantly worried about overheating. Any suggestions would be welcome!

Are you taking her temperature? This was one of my main stresses when DD came out of SCBU after being born at 32 weeks.
I used a thermometer to work out her body tempaerature like they do in hospital which helped. How often is she being weighed? For the first week they came to weigh her every 2-3 days then every week until her due date which helped a lot with my anxiety about her gaining weight.
At first I used to have her in vest, babygro, cotton sheet tightly tucked in and cellular wool blanket often folded twice over her. I took my cues from what she was wrapped in whilst in hospital which was also a warmer environment than home.
My health visitor said that even if they’re a little warm as long as they don’t have a hat on there’s somewhere for the heat to escape.
Do you have access to an outreach worker from the hospital? Or can call the ward? That was most helpful for me.

My prem always seemed cold and even now approaching 2 he still is. We always added an extra layer to the recommended number of layers.

My son has a 2.5 tog grow bag, long sleeve vest and sleepsuit to bed in his room that remains around 22-20c.

Our outreach nurse advised against swaddling and recommended blankets and when we struggled with blankets they suggested an extra layers of clothes (so a cardigan and trousers over sleepsuit and vest etc).

Like a PP I took my cue from how DS1 was dressed in the NICU. They used to put very thick blankets on him even though it was around 24 degrees! Our flat was much colder (18 degrees) so he wore a vest, tights, a thin wool jumper, a sleeping bag without sleeves and we put three wool blankets on his tummy. Sounds a lot but he was never too hot, his hands were often freezing.
To avoid overheating, babies should never wear hats inside and sleep on hard surfaces, this also means their heads can't sink into the mattress and end up partially covered.

Thanks everyone for your replies! I will certainly add a cardigan and an extra layer especially as it's so cold at the moment anyway.

My 3rd baby was born 36 wk but only weighing 3lb 6oz. He spent a month on s.c.b.u. We took him home after gaining a suitable amount of weight and constantly worried about him gaining weight. We found that he was comfortable in a vest, a babygro and about 3/4 thin blankets. It might sound alot but he was comfortable then and liked to be a bit warmer. I know it is a very stressful time but please take comfort in knowing your doing your best and you'll know what is best for your baby. We used more blankets to start with as we knew the hospital was warmer than our house. Then gradually as he grew bigger we reduced the blankets. Sending big hugs to you and your family. My son is 15 months and doing great now but I know it's a worrying time x