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Fever in Babies

For children younger than three months, temperature 104.4° F (38° C) or higher, when measured rectally, is defined as fever. The body has many ways to maintain the temperature. The organs involved in maintaining the temperature of the body are the brain, skin, muscles, and blood vessels. The body maintains body temperature when undergoing any change by:

 

  1. Raising or reducing the sweat production
  2. Altering water retention in the body
  3. Movement of blood near or further from the skin
  4. Seeking a warmer or cooler environment

 

Causes of Fever in Babies

 

According to the best baby doctor in Agra, some of the factors that can be the possible reasons behind baby's fever are as follows:

 

  1. Heat strokes
  2. Infectious diseases
  3. Certain kinds of cancer in the baby
  4. Brain condition
  5. Blood transfusion
  6. Autoimmune disease
  7. Some kind of medication
  8.  

As per the child specialist in Agra, fever is not an illness but a signal for the body to send its fighter cells like the white blood cells to destroy the cause of infection.

 

Symptoms of Fever in babies

 

Babies tend to become more uncomfortable as the temperature rises. Rising body temperature is the most obvious sign of fever in babies along with the following mentioned below.

 

  1. Your baby will behave fussier
  2. The baby becomes less inactive or talkative than usual
  3. The baby will not feel hungry but thirstier
  4. Your baby will feel warm or hot

The symptoms of fever can easily resemble the symptoms of other health ailments. So, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics, if your baby has a temperature of 104.4° F or higher, you should immediately consult the best child specialist in Agra.

 

When should a fever be treated?

 

Treating fever won't eradicate the infection but only ease the symptoms of fever like uneasiness and fussiness and offer comfort. Children aged between six to five months can develop seizures due to fever called febrile seizures. Generally, children outgrow these seizures and it doesn't mean that your child has epilepsy.

 

How to decrease the baby's fever?

 

Medications such as acetaminophen or ibuprofen can be used to lower the baby's fever. Never give your baby aspirin as it is linked with a fatal condition, Reye syndrome. Other ways to reduce the fever are:

 

  1. Dress your baby in light clothes to let the heat escape.
  2. Feed your child a lot of fluids.
  3. Give your baby a lukewarm bath.
  4. Don't use alcohol baths.

 

When should I call my child's health care provider?

 

Call your child's health care provider immediately if your child is younger than 3 months old and his or her temperature is 14.4° F (38° C) or higher or with symptoms mentioned below.

 

  1. The baby is crying inconsolably
  2. Difficult to awake
  3. The child has seizures
  4. Extreme headache, stiff neck, or an unexplained rash
  5. Immune system conditions like cancer
  6. Baby looks and acts sick
  7. The fever rises repeatedly to 14.4° F (38° C) or higher
  8. Severe vomiting or diarrhoea

 

According to the best child hospital in Agra, it is important to consult with the best child specialist in Agra as soon as possible if you observe any signs of health conditions in your baby.