Winter is coming: Protect your baby from hypothermia

With winter just around the corner, your baby is at a higher risk of hypothermia. Read on to learn why children are more prone to this condition and how you can protect them.

You no longer need to fall on an ice-rink to catch hypothermia. Exposure to Delhi's winter is enough. Hypothermia is a medical condition that is triggered by an unexpected and sudden drop in body temperature because of prolonged exposure to cold temperatures. While it can occur in adults too, cases of hypothermia are mostly recorded in the elderly, infants and children. This is because they have limited or underdeveloped capacity to thermoregulate. Thermoregulate means one's capability to regulate own body temperature.

According to the World Health Organisation, for babies, body temperature less than 36 C is considered to be hypothermia. The effects on infants can range from tissue hypoxia and neurologic damage to late-onset sepsis and mortality. Even among infants, those born with a low birth weight or a health condition are more prone to it. Preterm babies are also at a greater risk.

CAUSES OF HYPOTHERMIA IN INFANTS

While exposure to cold is the main reason for hypothermia, it is not the only one. Thermoregulation disorders such as sepsis and intracranial hemorrhage, maternal hypertension, caesarean delivery, inappropriate environmental temperature in the delivery room and low Apgar scores can also cause hypothermia in infants.

PREVENTING HYPOTHERMIA IN CHILDREN

We all know that prevention is better than cure. As a parent, it is your responsibility to protect your baby from every danger, including hypothermia. Talk to your doctor and ask for his suggestions regarding the ways in which you can do this. Here are some techniques you can use at home to protect your baby from hypothermia.

Create a neutral thermal environment in home

Depending on your babies' weight, and age in hours and days, you should talk to your doctor about what temperature should the baby's bed be. The temperature should be according to the number of calories the baby spends on maintaining body temperature. Temperature less than 36.5 C would increase the exposure and make it hard for the baby to maintain thermoneutrality. Keep changing this temperature if your baby is naked or wet.

Provide food and energy

Underweight baby means that he doesn't have calories to waste. This means that he/she doesn't have enough calories to spend and regulate their body temperature. It is advised that you breastfeed your baby early. This will provide him/her the energy to fight off the cold. You can also use oral, nasogastric tube or intravenous feeding to increase the calorie count of your baby.

Insulate the baby

Proper dressing of the baby can protect him/her from losing too much body heat and reduce the risk of hypothermia. The best piece of clothing that protects a baby is a woolen cap. Studies have shown that babies lose most of their heat from their head.