Patient's question:
My daughter is about 10 days old. Her temperature was normal before, but today it was 37.2 degrees. Is it because she's wearing too much? Today's temperature is a bit higher than yesterday's, but she's dressed the same as yesterday. What should I do if a newborn's temperature is high?Doctor's answer:
Neonatal fever refers to an infant with a body temperature above 37.4°C. Infant fever may be caused by high environmental temperature or illness. Neonatal fever should be treated according to different situations. Low-grade fever in newborns does not require fever reduction. If the temperature is below 38°C, physical cooling methods such as wrapping and cooling, or lowering the incubator temperature, can be used. Antipyretics are not recommended for newborns, as commonly used antipyretics usually have some toxic side effects for newborns. When an infant has a fever, parents should identify the cause of the fever. If the environmental temperature is too high, adjust the temperature to not exceed 30°C; for dehydration fever, add 5% or 10% sugar water, and intravenous fluids can be administered if necessary. Infants with infections can be treated with appropriate antibiotics. If the temperature exceeds 39°C, hospital treatment is recommended.