Thermoregulation in the Newborn - Essay Example

?Thermoregulation in the Newborn Thermoregulation in newborns is a much discussed topic all over the world because it has a different physiological perspective in a newborn baby. Hypothermia that occurs following birth is an issue all over the world across all types of climates (American Heart Association, 2005). In the womb, the baby is warm and is not faced with any thermal challenge. The environment of the mother takes care of the temperature of the baby in the womb. But, no sooner than the baby comes out, the baby is fraught with challenge of maintaining its own temperature. The temperature of the baby is dependent not only on the thermoregulation of the baby, but also on the environment and the clinical condition of the baby. It is a very interesting fact that, an unattended baby loses heat very fast and the temperature can decrease by several degrees (British Columbia Reproductive Care Program Policy Manual, 2003). Nurses and midwives who attend to deliveries have a major role to play in helping newborn babies maintain temperature. They are the first people to come in contact with the little ones and they have a major responsibility to ensure that the baby is able to maintain appropriate temperature. They also need to make sure that the environment of the baby, including the towels, resuscitation equipment and the room are pre-warmed much before the baby is delivered. Attending to the needs of temperature in babies is very important because thermal disparities can lead to devastating metabolic consequences and can contribute to increased morbidity and mortality in the newborn. In this essay, thermal regulation in a newborn will be discussed. In this context, the role of a midwife in promoting the health of the newborn will also be reviewed. The capacity of the body to maintain equilibrium between production of heat and loss of heat for sustenance of temperature of the body within a normal range is known as thermoregulation. Neutral thermal environment is that environment in which the infant uses only minimal oxygen and expends minimal energy for maintenance of temperature. Thermoregulation of newborn is a much studied and important topic because; disruptions in thermal regulation can lead to hyperthermia and cold stress, both of which can lead to devastating metabolic consequences in the newborn. The normal core body temperature of the newborn is 36.5- 37.2 degree C. Severe hypothermia is when the temperature is Read More