My son is one month in a half and he appears to have a sore throat and body temp is 97.2.. house is warm enought.. his usual body temp is 98.4.. he alaready has a docs tomorow but hes being very fuzzy i dont knkow if i should wait or take him to hospitial. i read somehwere before that any lower of 97.8 was consider low temp..
That's still considered a normal temp-babies usually have slightly higher temps then adults.
I'd be more worried if it spikes over 103. Otherwise a fever is the bodies way of fighting infection so it's not a bad thing unless it's very high.
Is he swaddled? If not dress him in a sleeper and swaddle him or carry him in a sling then take his temp again in say an hour. Yes that is a little low but my DD had a temp that low while in the NICU and they were ok with it as long as it came back up after being swaddled. If you are very concerned or he has other symptoms though definitely take him to the hospital!
Some people just naturally run a lower body temp that 98.6...that is the AVERAGE which must mean that some folks run a bit higher some a bit lower. Also, temps tend to be a bit higher at night...and a bit lower in the morning when you first get up.
My guess is that your baby is fine...as others said....swaddle him and cuddle with him...I am sure he will be fine.
First let me say this, DO NOT take a rectal temp unless you are in the medical field and have been taught how to do this. It absolutely drives me crazy when people start talking about doing this, you have no idea how much damage you can do to a little one's bum doing this if you don't know how. Yes, I was a labor and delivery nurse, so yes I do know how to take one and I'm saying this as someone who has been trained too.
As for the low temp., swaddle them then retake it under their arm, holding the arm down while you do it and see what it is. My guess is it will have come up.
i didnt read the other responses, so I dont know if someone asked this already or not. but did you do the anal temp or the ear one? the ear temp is always off, usually showing a few degrees lower than what it actually is. I would maybe call a nurse line to ask, or just go ahead and take him to the ER.
did you take it under his arm? if so did you add 1* to the temp? I found this out in the hospital with dd a month ago that under the arm you have to add a degree. so at the height of her illness she had 105.5 yikes!. He should be fine, swaddle him and hold him for a while and retake it. gl
I wouldn't do anything. Just wrap him up in a blanket and snuggle him close until he's nice and toasty. He'll warm up if he's too cold. Then if he starts running a fever, I'd get worried. My kids have had their temps taken and been that low at the drs office. Never been a worry...odds are it's not the true temp anyway...and if he's sick, the normal response would be to get hot, not cold. In a newborn, snuggle him close and warm him up if needed. If he's cold, I wouldn't think it's due to illness - just due to not being warm enough.
My little guy runs a low temp, always 97 something. The doctors have never worried about this. If it goes to 96/95 then I would call the doctor, they should be able to get you in the same day.....or I would consider a different pediatrician. My son was 95.4 once and we were told to take him in to be checked if we couldn't get it up within the hour. We were also told that swaddling is good, but if there is a low temperature, skin to skin is better. Snuggle him close to you with your shirt off and then wrap a blanket around the 2 of you.
My 2nd son had that and lower while in the hospital. They were concerned but as long as his temperature went back up after being swaddled they said he was okay.
Unlike many think lower than normal body temperature can also indicate an illness like sepsis, diabetes etc. Since you son is a month old I don't know if they'd be as worried with a low temperature so I would go ahead and just put a call in to your advice nurse/on call doctor and see what they think. I'd err on the side of caution with a newborn!
My normal body temp is 97.3 to 97.8 through out the day. But I would always ask the doc if this was an issue to be concerned about. He could need medical treatment since he is acting fuzzy.
That is within the range of normal temperatures. Bundling him up will warm him up. I've not heard of any illness associated with a low temperature. If your main concern is the temperature, 97.2 is OK.
You should call his doctor and let him or her know.
You will need to go to the ER if your newborn:
-has a temp. of 100.4 or higher rectally
-has a temp of 96.8 or lower rectally
-if he is refusing feeds
-if his color seems off
-if he is acting sick in any way.
But you need to call his doctor!
More likely, it was an inaccurate measurement. You don't mention where you are measuring. On average, a rectal temperature will read a degree hotter than true, and an axillary (under the arm) temperature will read a degree cooler than true...and ear temperatures, unless done by a professional, are totally inaccurate. Being warm blooded, we are able to regulate our own body temperature...I'm sure he's okay!!! :)
When I am sick my temp always goes down and always has. I have low blood pressure also. In fact it will drop dramatically also when I am sick. I have always been this way. Could never get out of school for a fever! Dr.s have even said I should be on the floor but because I'm not it must be normal.
Updated
When I am sick my temp always goes down and always has. I have low blood pressure also. In fact it will drop dramatically also when I am sick. I have always been this way. Could never get out of school for a fever! Dr.s have even said I should be on the floor but because I'm not it must be normal.
