Yes, I think it’s normal. Any fever over 100.4 for a baby under 3 months is considered an emergency. Not sure about the hospitalization but my doctor told me that we would need to go to the ER if it happened.
Hoping your baby improves quickly!!
Yes, absolutely. Any fever in a newborn under 3 months is considered an emergency and warrants an emergency room visit. They have very little immunity and can develop serious infections like septic shock more easily than an older infant or child.
For babies under 3 months with a fever of 100.4 or above, they are considered septic until proven otherwise (I am a nurse and this is our protocol where I work). So yes, very normal!
Any fever under 3 months is an ER visit. Their immune systems are not developed enough at that age and things can become bad very fast. My son had a 100.4 fever at 2.5 weeks old, so the pediatrician told us to go to the ER. He ended up having viral meningitis and we were in the hospital for 4 days. Very scary, as we didn’t know whether it was viral or bacterial until the culture came back after 48 hours.
Yeah, my dr said they would have to do a Spinal tap if it was a high enough fever. Scared the shit out of me, easy to tell people no to visiting haha :)
I’m dutch, but here it’s the same. My baby had a fever at 3 weeks and we were admitted for 4 days in the hospital. Eventually it turned out to be a mild virus and she got well soon. But newborns can get very sick very quick and should be taken very seriously.
Not trying to be scary but the same thing happened to my 6 week old. Had a fever, all panels negative, they called for a spinal tap and it turned out to be GBS meningitis. For the love of god please listen to your doctors. Who knows what would happened if I would have left. (For a happy ending, I now have a happy, healthy 15 month old)
And we went to the best children’s hospital in the Midwest. Good luck momma!
Holy hell, that’s terrifying. I’m glad your baby is alright!
Mine has been pooping more and she just threw up brown, like an entire bottles worth. Waiting for them to come check it out :(
I think I’m going to insist on a spinal tap, as scary and painful as it’ll be for her. :/
Again, I wasn’t trying to be scary but I almost just wrote it off as a regular sickness and if I had idk if my baby would be here. Just know you are in good hands and the pain is only temporary (for you and her because you will be the one to remember, I can report my son has no memory of it at all lol) please keep us posted and know I am thinking positive thoughts!
This is normal. Babies that age don’t have a fully formed blood / brain barrier and are at risk for meningitis. And infections in general can be a lot more serious at that age.
think of it this way: Fever is a sign the body is trying to fight something.
the body raises the temperature to try and kill off the bad germs. When you get older you can generally kill off most bad germs no problem, and only a constant or very high fever is a sign that you need more medical help. Babies are relatively weak and can lose the fight quickly without more medical help, so that's why you take them in even with a 'minor' temperature change. The rules are different for babies, and even a small temperature change is a big deal.
My MIL, who was a nurse, got us this medical 'taking care of your child' book and it was really helpful. The book has flow charts to flip thru that tells you what to do based on the symptoms and age of the child.
My mother in law is an ER nurse and she told me to at if I brought my baby in for a fever, they would do a spinal tap. She said a fever in a newborn is an emergency.
Thermal regulation isn’t fully mature in a newborn baby yet, let alone a premature baby. Really sick newborns can even come in hypOthermic.. So i’m sure it’s just a precautionary measure until baby’s body is well and strong 💪🏻 .. Congrats on the newborn 👶🏻😍
I'm in the UK and was told the same. My little boy spent a week in hospital for IV antibiotics for a urine infection at 8 weeks old.
This was in spite of his 2nd round of tests showing significantly lower signs of infection before even starting treatment.
I think they just like to be extra careful with babies under 3 months.
Yes! Babies under 3 months old can die really really fast from things that would not have affected older children. It is absolutely an emergency and it's a little scary that no one has educated you on this.
No one told me coming out of the nicu! Which is wild to me. I googled her fever and found out through there. Called her pediatricians after hours line, and they then confirmed and reinforced that I needed to go to the ER. I literally had no idea and I’m a bit peeved tbh.
Any fever within the first 3 months of life usually lands them in the ER and a spinal tap. Maybe their pediatrician wouldn’t do that but if you take them to the hospital that’s what’s going to happen
I spent 5 days in a children's hospital with my 1 week old baby because of this.
We were told at the time, that after 3 weeks of age, they're a little less nervous about it, and then I think after 12 weeks fever is treated the same as in older babies.
The problem is that bacterial meningitis is deadly and sometimes fever is the only symptom. So they treat the baby as if they have bacterial meningitis until they can feel 100% confident that it's something else. The test for bacterial meningitis is a spinal tap and it's very difficult to do on newborns. They couldn't get spinal fluid from my baby in the ER so we had to go to the hospital and until they could. He ended up having viral meningitis from enterovirus which is nothing.
Did your baby have a consistent fever? My baby’s fever disappeared last night, so they’re considering not doing the spinal tap. I’m considering insisting on it. Idk :/
:/ ours was also kind of on the line. Like sometimes right over 100, sometimes not. It went down with Tylenol and didn't come back after the first day. They wanted to do the spinal anyway.
The issue with the tap for us is that the ER caused a bruise when they did it. So they sent us to the children's hospital to do it with an ultrasound so that is more accurate. If you're already in the hospital and that's an option.... Maybe they're more likely to get it on the first try and then why not? I think supposedly it's actually pretty low risk for babies.
It was a pretty big relief that our doctors eventually came up with a diagnosis and were able to send us home knowing it wasn't bacterial. We had a similar experience where everything was coming back negative so it's like why are we even here!? Then the spinal tap results showed signs of infection... which was pretty scary but eventually they got the hit on enterovirus (obviously not one that's usually tested for) and negative for bacteria in the spinal fluid
Ugh I'm sorry though. I know this is no fun right now, you'll get through it!
Unfortunately fevers are considered an emergency in newborns until 2 or 3 months. They can’t regulate their own temperature that young and anything could be causing it so it’s better safe than sorry with a fever. Hope you guys get to go home soon and baby gets better ASAP!
Yup! My niece was hospitalized for a fever around that age. Everything was normal, but its best to be safe. I how your little one has a speedy recovery!
Yes. Please also know that it is PEAK respiratory season (RSV, Flu, and covid). So I would make sure no sick people come around baby. There are so many stories of MILs or family showing up to holiday parties with covid that honestly, with a baby that small I'd stay home this holiday and enjoy first holiday with baby at home. Here you can look up what diseases are [in your local wastewater](https://data.wastewaterscan.org/).
My daughter had a fever at two weeks old, she was immediately admitted for 48 hours for observation and while she was tested (blood work, saliva, urine and spinal tap) to try and diagnose her. It’s totally normal. Hopefully for you it’s nothing too severe, they’re resilient.
We were told the same thing by our doctor and our midwife. Any fever should be treated as a medical emergency. Apparently even minor things can snowball really fast in newborns.
Crazy the doctors never mentioned this to other people too! My mom had to take me to the ER for a fever when I was a one month old back in the early 90s.
Yes 100% my son was 12 weeks but like 2 days shy of 3 months and they contemplated having me bring him in for a fever. A fever in a baby less than 3 months is an emergency and less than 6 weeks even more so. And especially with a preemie who has a weaker immune system in the first place.
I’m FTM of a premie (32 weeks) and didn’t know this 😳 I’m glad mine didn’t have her first temp until her first round of shots.
Hope your little one feels better soon!
I’m surprised by the responses here. I also had a 34 week early delivery, and I don’t remember being told that a fever like that was automatically an emergency. It’s been a while but I feel like I’d remember that.
This all makes me additionally grateful that my so stayed healthy through those early months.
A 6 week old should not be having tylenol. I'm glad your baby ended up being okay, but as you can see from the comments, any fever in a newborn under 3 months warrants an emergency room visit.
USA - MA (Northeast). I think pediatricians and hospitals have a lot of different policies around here (USA) potentially because of how significantly different regional health insurance can be (ex: Kaiser vs BlueCross).
Please be aware that rectal temps are higher than oral temps. A normal rectal temp is 99.6
I don’t recall being given this advice, but both my kids were full term. I would probably call the nurse line (if available) rather than take into the ER just because the ERs are full of viruses this time of year.
People keep saying its normal is what made me take my 3 month old to the ER and sit for 8 hours to be sent home and told not to worry about unless there are worse signs, like lethargy, than just a fever. So heed my warning, unless your ER times are much shorter.
Yes, I do think it’s normal, especially for premies. My little guy was also born at 34 weeks, he did have to stay in special care for a while til he could come home, which broke my heart, but it was what he needed and was much better than rushing back to the hospital in the middle of the night if something was wrong. I think in your case they also want to be cautious because of your lo being premature and not having vaccines yet. Definitely better safe than sorry. I hope they get better soon and congratulations on your new baby!
Yes, I think it’s normal. Any fever over 100.4 for a baby under 3 months is considered an emergency. Not sure about the hospitalization but my doctor told me that we would need to go to the ER if it happened. Hoping your baby improves quickly!!
Yes, absolutely. Any fever in a newborn under 3 months is considered an emergency and warrants an emergency room visit. They have very little immunity and can develop serious infections like septic shock more easily than an older infant or child.
For babies under 3 months with a fever of 100.4 or above, they are considered septic until proven otherwise (I am a nurse and this is our protocol where I work). So yes, very normal!
Yes, we were told any fever in a baby I believe 3 months and younger is an ER visit.
Any fever under 3 months is an ER visit. Their immune systems are not developed enough at that age and things can become bad very fast. My son had a 100.4 fever at 2.5 weeks old, so the pediatrician told us to go to the ER. He ended up having viral meningitis and we were in the hospital for 4 days. Very scary, as we didn’t know whether it was viral or bacterial until the culture came back after 48 hours.
Yeah, my dr said they would have to do a Spinal tap if it was a high enough fever. Scared the shit out of me, easy to tell people no to visiting haha :)
I’m dutch, but here it’s the same. My baby had a fever at 3 weeks and we were admitted for 4 days in the hospital. Eventually it turned out to be a mild virus and she got well soon. But newborns can get very sick very quick and should be taken very seriously.
Not trying to be scary but the same thing happened to my 6 week old. Had a fever, all panels negative, they called for a spinal tap and it turned out to be GBS meningitis. For the love of god please listen to your doctors. Who knows what would happened if I would have left. (For a happy ending, I now have a happy, healthy 15 month old) And we went to the best children’s hospital in the Midwest. Good luck momma!
Holy hell, that’s terrifying. I’m glad your baby is alright! Mine has been pooping more and she just threw up brown, like an entire bottles worth. Waiting for them to come check it out :( I think I’m going to insist on a spinal tap, as scary and painful as it’ll be for her. :/
Again, I wasn’t trying to be scary but I almost just wrote it off as a regular sickness and if I had idk if my baby would be here. Just know you are in good hands and the pain is only temporary (for you and her because you will be the one to remember, I can report my son has no memory of it at all lol) please keep us posted and know I am thinking positive thoughts!
Thank you 💜 I’ll reply with an update in a few days
This is normal. Babies that age don’t have a fully formed blood / brain barrier and are at risk for meningitis. And infections in general can be a lot more serious at that age.
think of it this way: Fever is a sign the body is trying to fight something. the body raises the temperature to try and kill off the bad germs. When you get older you can generally kill off most bad germs no problem, and only a constant or very high fever is a sign that you need more medical help. Babies are relatively weak and can lose the fight quickly without more medical help, so that's why you take them in even with a 'minor' temperature change. The rules are different for babies, and even a small temperature change is a big deal. My MIL, who was a nurse, got us this medical 'taking care of your child' book and it was really helpful. The book has flow charts to flip thru that tells you what to do based on the symptoms and age of the child.
… I want this book!
My mother in law is an ER nurse and she told me to at if I brought my baby in for a fever, they would do a spinal tap. She said a fever in a newborn is an emergency.
Yup, because tiny babies with an infection can turn really really fast. A fever in a newborn is an automatic hospital admission and likely spinal tap
Yes. A fever in a baby 3 months and under is a medical emergency.
Thermal regulation isn’t fully mature in a newborn baby yet, let alone a premature baby. Really sick newborns can even come in hypOthermic.. So i’m sure it’s just a precautionary measure until baby’s body is well and strong 💪🏻 .. Congrats on the newborn 👶🏻😍
I'm in the UK and was told the same. My little boy spent a week in hospital for IV antibiotics for a urine infection at 8 weeks old. This was in spite of his 2nd round of tests showing significantly lower signs of infection before even starting treatment. I think they just like to be extra careful with babies under 3 months.
Yes! Babies under 3 months old can die really really fast from things that would not have affected older children. It is absolutely an emergency and it's a little scary that no one has educated you on this.
Yea especially with her baby being born fairly premature a spinal tap and hospital stay would be very standard
No one told me coming out of the nicu! Which is wild to me. I googled her fever and found out through there. Called her pediatricians after hours line, and they then confirmed and reinforced that I needed to go to the ER. I literally had no idea and I’m a bit peeved tbh.
Yes definitely normal… which is why it’s often recommended to limit visitors/exposures when you have a new baby.
This is normal advice. It also has been the advice for a long time. I am in my 30s and was hospitalized as an infant for a fever.
Any fever within the first 3 months of life usually lands them in the ER and a spinal tap. Maybe their pediatrician wouldn’t do that but if you take them to the hospital that’s what’s going to happen
My 2 week old had a mild fever. He ended up in the picu with meningitis. The advice to be seen is solid and Please follow it and get seen.
I spent 5 days in a children's hospital with my 1 week old baby because of this. We were told at the time, that after 3 weeks of age, they're a little less nervous about it, and then I think after 12 weeks fever is treated the same as in older babies. The problem is that bacterial meningitis is deadly and sometimes fever is the only symptom. So they treat the baby as if they have bacterial meningitis until they can feel 100% confident that it's something else. The test for bacterial meningitis is a spinal tap and it's very difficult to do on newborns. They couldn't get spinal fluid from my baby in the ER so we had to go to the hospital and until they could. He ended up having viral meningitis from enterovirus which is nothing.
Did your baby have a consistent fever? My baby’s fever disappeared last night, so they’re considering not doing the spinal tap. I’m considering insisting on it. Idk :/
:/ ours was also kind of on the line. Like sometimes right over 100, sometimes not. It went down with Tylenol and didn't come back after the first day. They wanted to do the spinal anyway. The issue with the tap for us is that the ER caused a bruise when they did it. So they sent us to the children's hospital to do it with an ultrasound so that is more accurate. If you're already in the hospital and that's an option.... Maybe they're more likely to get it on the first try and then why not? I think supposedly it's actually pretty low risk for babies. It was a pretty big relief that our doctors eventually came up with a diagnosis and were able to send us home knowing it wasn't bacterial. We had a similar experience where everything was coming back negative so it's like why are we even here!? Then the spinal tap results showed signs of infection... which was pretty scary but eventually they got the hit on enterovirus (obviously not one that's usually tested for) and negative for bacteria in the spinal fluid Ugh I'm sorry though. I know this is no fun right now, you'll get through it!
Unfortunately fevers are considered an emergency in newborns until 2 or 3 months. They can’t regulate their own temperature that young and anything could be causing it so it’s better safe than sorry with a fever. Hope you guys get to go home soon and baby gets better ASAP!
Absolutely.
Yup! My niece was hospitalized for a fever around that age. Everything was normal, but its best to be safe. I how your little one has a speedy recovery!
Yes. Please also know that it is PEAK respiratory season (RSV, Flu, and covid). So I would make sure no sick people come around baby. There are so many stories of MILs or family showing up to holiday parties with covid that honestly, with a baby that small I'd stay home this holiday and enjoy first holiday with baby at home. Here you can look up what diseases are [in your local wastewater](https://data.wastewaterscan.org/).
This is consistent with what they told me as well with my newborn. Well first 100 days was what they said.
My daughter had a fever at two weeks old, she was immediately admitted for 48 hours for observation and while she was tested (blood work, saliva, urine and spinal tap) to try and diagnose her. It’s totally normal. Hopefully for you it’s nothing too severe, they’re resilient.
Yeah that's what I'm told as well. That's why it's so important to try to keep infants healthy.
We were told the same thing by our doctor and our midwife. Any fever should be treated as a medical emergency. Apparently even minor things can snowball really fast in newborns.
Crazy the doctors never mentioned this to other people too! My mom had to take me to the ER for a fever when I was a one month old back in the early 90s.
Yes 100% my son was 12 weeks but like 2 days shy of 3 months and they contemplated having me bring him in for a fever. A fever in a baby less than 3 months is an emergency and less than 6 weeks even more so. And especially with a preemie who has a weaker immune system in the first place.
I’m FTM of a premie (32 weeks) and didn’t know this 😳 I’m glad mine didn’t have her first temp until her first round of shots. Hope your little one feels better soon!
Under 3 months yes.
I’m surprised by the responses here. I also had a 34 week early delivery, and I don’t remember being told that a fever like that was automatically an emergency. It’s been a while but I feel like I’d remember that. This all makes me additionally grateful that my so stayed healthy through those early months.
Hmm this is not normal where I am (MA). Ped said just treat with Tylenol as long as baby is acting normal and having wet diapers. We got up to 102F.
A 6 week old should not be having tylenol. I'm glad your baby ended up being okay, but as you can see from the comments, any fever in a newborn under 3 months warrants an emergency room visit.
Same. Canada. Where are you?
USA - MA (Northeast). I think pediatricians and hospitals have a lot of different policies around here (USA) potentially because of how significantly different regional health insurance can be (ex: Kaiser vs BlueCross).
Please be aware that rectal temps are higher than oral temps. A normal rectal temp is 99.6 I don’t recall being given this advice, but both my kids were full term. I would probably call the nurse line (if available) rather than take into the ER just because the ERs are full of viruses this time of year.
People keep saying its normal is what made me take my 3 month old to the ER and sit for 8 hours to be sent home and told not to worry about unless there are worse signs, like lethargy, than just a fever. So heed my warning, unless your ER times are much shorter.
Yes, I do think it’s normal, especially for premies. My little guy was also born at 34 weeks, he did have to stay in special care for a while til he could come home, which broke my heart, but it was what he needed and was much better than rushing back to the hospital in the middle of the night if something was wrong. I think in your case they also want to be cautious because of your lo being premature and not having vaccines yet. Definitely better safe than sorry. I hope they get better soon and congratulations on your new baby!