Perspiring newborns

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Betsy Og

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3 week old boy, sweats a fair bit on his back when sleeping. Only has baby grow & 1 layer of cellular blanket on him. Is in a wicker moses basket with foam mattress that has those circular holes in it.

Has wet nappies etc (so not dehydrated) & seems happy as sleeps and drinks goodo so it doesnt seem too seroius (& doc checked about 2 weeks ago & was fine) but since overheating seems to be a big thing in cot death it would be nice to hear of someone else who had a similar experience with no ill effects, or how to alleviate the issue (without giving the child pneumonia !!).

Thanks.
 
I have a little boy 2yrs and sweats so much in the car seat if he falls asleep that his hair would be wet and his t-shirt when I take him out of car.
At bedtime I used to take the vest off and just leave babygro on in summer with as you said a light blanket. Can't rem having same problem in carrycot or cot.
Now that he is in his cot he sleeps in a grobag which is just brilliant as he does a fair amount of tossing and turning during the night and is usually at the other end of the cot in the morning. He sleeps with his bum up in the air. When your baby is a little bit older a grobag is well worth the money.
Congratulations BTW!
 
ubiquitous said:
Talk to your doctor for Gods sake...
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Have done, and the public health nurse. They are both saying no major issue but didnt have any anecdotal evidence that its normal/typical.

Dont worry, I'm not relying on AAM for the health of my child but a bit of comfort for Dad (& Mum more particularly) would be nice.
 
Hi Betsy Og
Congrats on the new baby ... as far as I know all newborns sweat a lot (mine did) ... as far as I know it's to help the body eliminate all the toxins from before birth.
in spain they put baby cologne in the bath water to keep them cool ... their surface to mass area is huge ... you could use you could use some corn starch powder if the skin is getting sore around the neck or behind the knees.

Use loose cotton clothing ... it is easy enough to establish if the baby is too cold by feeling his chest/tummy ... rather than his feet or hands or head. Do you have a room thermometer? A general rule of thumb is that a baby should wear one more layer of clothes than an adult ... don't be afraid to ask your public health nurse about any concerns ... don't wait until she calls to you, you can drop into the nurses clinic.

Hope this is of some help
 
Hi Betsy, congrats on new arrival. I understand your concerns of overheating because my 3 were all born in the summer months. A vest in my opinion is enough to keep them covered. In summer '04 we bought one of those cheap fans that you can get in any office supply store or Hombase etc. They give off a slight breeze, but really only circulate the warm air around the room, which is fine to keep you cool. It is important than your baby is not in draft when you open the windows. Believe me I have no medical expertise, but I think pnenmonia would be caused if you freeze a sweaty baby. So no sudden drop in temps. If you have any concerns you should ring your doctor again and ask his advice.

AAM is great and everything, but magicmum and rollercoaster are great for parenting advice and they both have special sections on newborns.

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Hth and congrats again.
 
Is the room ventilated appropriately (not cold or draughty obviously)? Do you have thermometer to check the temperature? If the GP and PHN say that things are OK then I'd be happy with that.

P.S. Don't take offence at ubiquituous. I share his frustration/concern at some people using discussion forums as a substitute for professional (medical) advice.
 
My two perspire very easily, particularly the youngest.
I would not be worried unduely about this.
If you are concerned about cot death you can get a monitor from mother care which you place under the matress which beebs if the baby stops breathing.
It can give good peace of mind particularly if you are concerned about the baby being too hot.
 
Room would be fairly well ventilated, window left ajar behind a curtain more or less 24/7, baby at other side of room so no risk of draught. No harm in getting one of those fans I suppose for general air circulation in the room.

TBH the back sweat syndrome is something I've experienced myself a few times in the last, say, 5 years - only ever after a feed of porter! I think its due to fact that you dont move in your sleep like you normally would and therefore there is a build up of heat under your back, coupled maybe with the sweating out of toxins (& yes, spoke to doc re this....).

Suspect that with baby he more or less sleeps in the one position, flat on his back, so while more ventilation is all well and good I dont think it'll deal with this issue, maybe quick pick up or moving about on the base of the basket would help as often as can think of it.

Thanks for the links to the other sites etc.
 
I think that cot-deaths/SIDS are covered in the media in gross mis-proportion to their actual/observed occurrence. People really should not worry unduly about such matters especially once they are taking the normal recommended precautions.
SIDS is responsible for roughly 50 deaths per 100,000 births in the US. It is responsible for far fewer deaths than congenital disorders and disorders related to short gestation; though it becomes the leading cause of death in otherwise healthy babies after one month of age.
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That's 0.05% by the way. See here for some Irish statistics.
 
Do you have a dormer, by any chance? Only ask because we live in a dormer, and its very hot upstairs these days. Think you live in same general area as me- its very humid here for the last 10 weeks or so. My two are perspiring a great deal these days. Know what ClubMan says about the incidence of cotdeath is, of course, correct but that doesnt stop me worrying too. My two year old sweats so much at times her hair looks like shes just out of the bath ( no exaggeration) and the baby gets a little damp only.
 
Congrats on your baby! I am working in the area of Paediatrics. I would suggest that you ensure your little baby is in a well ventilated room as previously stated. In addition one blacket is enough at this time of year. Even in hot weather (unlikely in Eire) just leave him in nappy. Your wall temp will tell you the recommended temp. Moreover which you probably know it is a good idea to ensure that his feet are to the foot of the cot/ basket.

Finally if you still feel uneasy.....go to another GP. Remember parents are the experts on their children and doctors should know this. Can be quite dismissive of first time mothers as worriers.

Enjoy him !
 
Jamjam said:
Remember parents are the experts on their children and doctors should know this. Can be quite dismissive of first time mothers as worriers.
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Equally, some parents can have illogical worries about their kids and incorrectly see objective and logical opinions of health professionals that conflict with their concerns as dismissive.
 
ClubMan said:
Equally, some parents can have illogical worries about their kids and incorrectly see objective and logical opinions of health professionals that conflict with their concerns as dismissive.
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Well as a practitioner in this field we were always taught to firstly go with the parents' instincts.(usually the mom) 8/10 cases they are usually right.

While you do meet some parents with "illogical" worries they must always be examined.

Finally I think the new mom in question here has a legitimate question in relation to her baby ...it must be respected and not rejected.
 
Well as both a parent and a child I am of the opinion that the incidence of well meaning but irrational worries on the part of parents is quite high. Just to clarify - neither I nor anybody else here "rejected" the original poster's query, whatever that means. For my own part I tried to provide what I hope was useful practical advice (e.g. ventilation, room temperature monitoring etc.) and information including statistics on the actual occurrence of "cot deaths"/SIDS which show that they are actually exceedingly rare and hence not something to worry unduly about.
 
ClubMan said:
Well as both a parent and a child I am of the opinion that the incidence of well meaning but irrational worries on the part of parents is quite high. Just to clarify - neither I nor anybody else here "rejected" the original poster's query, whatever that means. For my own part I tried to provide what I hope was useful practical advice (e.g. ventilation, room temperature monitoring etc.) and information including statistics on the actual occurrence of "cot deaths"/SIDS which show that they are actually exceedingly rare and hence not something to worry unduly about.
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I wasn't suggesting that you were "rejecting" this mom's question at all Clubman. I was however stressing the importance of not rejecting questions in general just because we may feel they are from over anxious new mothers.


I acknowledge your experience as a parent.However I feel that all uneasiness, worries etc in realtion to newborns must be examined until every angle is explored until the parent feels comfortable with the explanation....for both mom's sake and newborn's sake

I am unsure if you have a medical backgrouund Clubman but I really don't think that being a parent qualifies anybody to cite medical statitics and advice on a matter like this. Research always only INDICATES afterall!

While it would appear that this little baby is just presenting with excessive sweating (he has after all been examined by GP and nurrse), Excessive sweating in babies can indicate alot of other things so all I am saying is if this caring mother continues to worry about her little guy then she should seek a second opinion.
 
Jamjam said:
I am unsure if you have a medical backgrouund Clubman but I really don't think that being a parent qualifies anybody to cite medical statitics and advice on a matter like this.
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I am not a medical practitioner if that's what you mean but I don't see how that precludes me from alluding to statistics presumably arising from an objective and scientific analysis of an area of relevant to the discussion in hand. I also didn't realise that the idea persisted in certain areas (not sure which since you haven't clarified what your specific role as "practitioner" is - which is, of course, your prerogative) of the medical profession that only certain people were privileged to be keepers and users of this sort of information. That to me is more dismissive than anything that has gone previously in this thread. But that's just me and my dillettante opinions I suppose...
 
Sorry if I seemed dismissive! Was not my intention.
It's just my opinion working as a paediatrican for the last 4 years that parents' worries should always be examined.

Seriously the majority of parents are the experts on their children....the doctors are the experts on the condition/syndrome/disease but parents always remain the experts on their children.

I advocte that no stone should be left unturned in relation to children and their health. If I wasn't happy wiith the explanation I was given from my doc/nurse i'd be off to another one.

As previously stated ...research only indicates...also I'm not a fan of the old self diagnosis (or diagnosing others) using the internet! Not that I'm stating that anybody did that on here! Also we don't really know the exact reliabilty of such sources!

Anyway I have said my piece now (and know I'm going to be slated for what I've said) I just want to clarify to the lady who started this ....go for a 2nd opinion if you are still wondering /worried about your little baby although if he is fine otherswise (especially during feeds) it would appear he is ok. Fundamentally however ....a doctor can never be fully sure without examining him .



Good health to all

J
 
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