Newborns and fevers 🌡️

A rectal temperature is truly no ones favorite way to check a temperature.

BUT taking one when it is needed and reacting safely is crucial.

** information heavy caption here, may be triggers to those who have experienced NICU/PICU stays 🫶

Newborns from birth to six weeks are at highest risk for serious infections, and often times a fever can be the first and only indicator.

A fever of 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit or 38 degrees Celsuis in the first two months of life is considered a medical emergency, with the most serious being in the first 4 weeks of life.

This is because in newborns, an infection can creep it’s way into a place that is irreversible 🧠

Any fever in the first 8 weeks of life warrants an ER trip. Scary, I know.

The latest AAP guidelines from March 2023 outline the criteria for when what is called a lumbar puncture, aka spinal tap, is recommended in a hospital setting with a fever. This procedure checks for the infection in the brain and surrounding fluid.

Criteria for lumbar punctures with fever
- Up to 3 weeks- automatic lumbar puncture (LP)
- 3-4 weeks- strongly consider LP
- 4-6 weeks- maybe LP needed

So why check a newborns temperature rectally?

Because it is the most accurate core body temperature.

That’s right, those forehead, under the arm, under the tongue are not what you want to be using early on.

They will either give you a false sense of security or trigger a false alarm. Because postpartum with a newborn is the worse time to unnecessarily hang out in an ER.

How to take a rectal temperature in a baby

** this information applies to healthy, full-term newborns. This is not professional medical advice, please consult with your pediatrician for medical advice specific to your child