Patient education: Newborn hypoglycemia (The Basics)

What is newborn hypoglycemia? — Newborn hypoglycemia is a condition that happens when a newborn baby does not have enough sugar in their blood. "Hypoglycemia" is the medical term for low blood sugar.

It is normal for a baby's blood sugar to go down after birth. It usually comes back to normal when the baby is fed breast milk or formula. If a baby's blood sugar stays low after feeding, they might need treatment.

What are the symptoms of newborn hypoglycemia? — Many babies do not have any symptoms. Some babies do have symptoms, including:

●Shaking or trembling

●Weak or flabby muscles

●Acting irritable or cranky

●Acting sleepy

●Breathing problems, such as fast breathing or stopping breathing at times

●Skin that looks blue, feels cold, or both

●Trouble sucking on a breast or bottle (some babies eat less than normal)

●Seizures

Is there a test for newborn hypoglycemia? — Yes. A blood test can measure how much sugar is in the baby's blood. Doctors can do this test if the baby has symptoms of newborn hypoglycemia, or has a higher risk of the condition. For example, if a baby is premature or the mother has diabetes, the baby is at higher risk.

How is newborn hypoglycemia treated? — All newborn babies need breast milk or formula soon after birth. This can help keep hypoglycemia from happening.

Babies at higher risk of newborn hypoglycemia should be fed breast milk or formula within 1 hour of birth. A doctor or nurse will do blood tests to keep track of how much sugar is in their blood.

If a baby has low blood sugar but no symptoms, doctors might give sugar in the form of gel. The gel goes inside the baby's cheek. This is followed by a feeding, with breast milk if possible. The gel, followed by a feeding, reduces the risk that the baby's blood sugar will drop again.

If a baby has symptoms of newborn hypoglycemia, or still has low blood sugar after feeding, doctors might give a sugar mixture through an "IV." (An IV is a thin tube that goes into a vein.) This gets sugar into the baby's bloodstream right away.

Most babies only need the sugar mixture for a short time. If a baby needs it after they are 3 or 4 days old, the doctor might do more tests. Depending on the results, they might give the baby medicine or do surgery.

More on this topic

Patient education: Care during pregnancy for people with type 1 or type 2 diabetes (The Basics)
Patient education: What to expect in the NICU (The Basics)