Supporting Newborn Transition: Temperature

All babies are susceptible to hypothermia in the first few hours after the birth, so it is important to take simple measures after the birth to keep the newborn warm.

These measures include:

• Ensuring a warm environment at birth by closing doors & windows, putting the heating on and warming towels
• Drying the baby immediately after birth with warm dry towels
• Putting a hat on the baby
• Placing the baby skin-to-skin and wrapping mother and baby together, unless the mother is cold. If the mother is cold, then wrap the baby well in a warm dry towel/ blanket and apply a hat.
• Where possible, axilla temperature recordings should be obtained, monitored and recorded aiming to maintain

Following birth, the wet newborn baby comes into a much colder environment and immediately starts to lose heat. Most of this heat loss occurs within the first few minutes and if not kept warm in the first 10-20 minutes, the baby may lose enough heat for their body temperature to fall to a very low level.

Some babies are more at risk of getting cold, these include:

• Preterm babies born at less than 37 weeks’ gestation
• Low birth weight
• Babies of mothers who are diabetic
• Babies who need extra support or resuscitation at birth
• Babies where the mother has an infection in labour.