Newborn temps

Our unit's policy is try a variety of things if the infant's temp is below 97.6, such as skin to skin contact, double wrapped in warm blankets or placing under the warmer. We are only to take a blood sugar if there are more hypoglycemia symptoms such as lethargy or jitteryness (or if we simply suspect low bs). I have had several newborns in my care that simply run lower core temps, no matter what interventions you try, and with no underlying cause. Doing three blood sugars on infants with temps lower tha 98.0 does seem a little extreme, not to mention heartbreaking to skick an infant any more that needed.

We become concerned and start doing things like you mentioned when the temp is 97.5. First we try skin-to-skin if possible, or a hat and double bundle and check the temp again in about 30 minutes. They buy a warmer warm-up if their temp has not gone up over 97.5 (axillary). We will often check one bedside-drop-of-blood machine blood sugar (not a lab draw requiring 0.5 ml) just as a precaution since babies with hypoglycemia do not always show obvious symptoms of low blood sugar. I personally feel 98.0 is a bit high of a cut off. After all, in intensive care, we allow a 97.7 as our lower limit of normal.

Our line in the sand is 97.7, but we don't go straight to blood sugars unless they are a little symptomatic, or had risk factors. We start with warming tricks, back to the warmer, double hats, making sure they're bundled well.