Newborn Is Suffering From Fever. Not Cured By Calpol. Blood Test Done. How To Cure This?

Posted on Mon, 29 Apr 2013

Question: Our baby of 3 days is suffering from fever for the past two days; he has been given calpol drops twice during the past 24 hrs, but the fever has not subsided yet. His motion seems ok and so is his urination (3 times today). His blood sample has been collected for culture test...His feet alone shiver once in a while. How can we make it better for the baby?
[Age below is in days.]

Answered by Dr. Y V Siva Sankara Murty (22 minutes later)

Hi,

Thanks for writing to health care magic.

Is your baby active?
How is the feeding of your baby?
How many times your baby passing urine in a period of 24hrs?

One cause of fever in a other wise active new born who is feeding normally is a condition called dehydration fever. Here the baby will be active and feeds normally. This condition occurs around 3rd day of life and subsides shortly. Paracetamol or calpol has no role in such conditions.
Increasing frequency of feeds will help in such scenario.

Sepsis or bacterial infection can rarely cause fever in a new born baby. In fact they cause hypothermia (low body temperature) than causing fever. If the baby is active, crying normally, feeding normally baby is unlikely to have any infection.

Hope I answered your query.
Please feel free to ask any further questions. I will be more than happy to help you.

Dr Y V Siva Sankara Murty,
Associate Professor,
Pediatrics.

Note: For further queries related to your child health, Talk to a Pediatrician. Click here to Book a Consultation.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar