Babies who are kept warm (37°C) breathe better and have better circulation than babies who are cold.
Heat can be lost in 3 different ways
1. Radiant heat transfer: heat loss from the baby directly into the air if the air is colder than the baby
A radiant heat warmer is needed to minimize radiant heat loss.
2. Conduction: direct loss from contact between two solids
Warm blankets are needed to minimize conductive loss. Placing the baby on the mother's warm skin will also minimize conductive heat loss.
3. Convection: loss of heat as water evaporates from the baby's skin
Newborns are wet and have a lot of surface area, making convective heat loss a significant risk.
Drying the baby's head and putting a hat on minimizes convective heat loss from the head.
Premature babies with immature skin can be gently wrapped in a watertight layer such as sterile plastic wrap from the neck to the feet to prevent damaging the skin and convective heat loss.
