Skin-skin care if the mother hypothermic

[irina chelidze]

if mother has hypotermia(35,6-35,9)can baby contact skin to skin 2 hours after birth?

[Audrius]

Of course can. But pls warrant normal environment temperature and check baby's T. Good luck from LT!

Audrius

[Skysurfer]

Hello everybody,

it´s a little late i know, but i would be concerned about having a baby on it´s mothers belly while this belly is a little cold. I assume that the mother´s skin temp. is below the normal values when she´s in a cold stress. It is well known, that the baby´s and the mother´s skin are interacting during Kangaroo Care in a way that they exchange heat through vasodilation and constriction in order to maintain a stable temperature. If the Baby is too cold the mother´s skin will dilate and more (warm) blood will enter the dermal region where the Baby is lying to heat it up. I think the mother will have a hard time to heat her baby up, or keep it warm when she´s hypothermic herself. I don´t think it´s a good idea to stress both individuals, when the mother has her own problems to maintain a stable temperature.......

Regards Norbert

[Antares]

There have been studies that show that mom's body temperature will increase/decrease to maintain normothermia in her baby. I wonder if kangarooing would ultimately benefit her by stimulating her own temperature to increase?

[Skysurfer]

There have been studies that show that mom's body temperature will increase/decrease to maintain normothermia in her baby. I wonder if kangarooing would ultimately benefit her by stimulating her own temperature to increase?

Dear Antares,

You are definitely right regarding the studies, but if a mother is hypothermic she´ll have her own problem to regain a normal temperature. This talk isn´t about the proper way to "heat" the mother up or how to stimulate the mothers temperature to increase. The mothers body is already stimulated by her hypothermia, there is no further cold stress necessary to stimulate her.
I assumed this talk was about whether or not it is safe for the baby to lie on a "cold", shaking mother.
Cangaroo care, as we all know, is a method where a mother and her child can get in touch with each other and this is a very unique an fragile moment in the relationship between two individuals. And if this unique relationship begins with the experience of having to freeze, then i for myself would prefer to live without this kind of experience.....:)

Regards Norbert