In plain words
Neonatal hypoglycemia is low blood sugar in a newborn. It is more common in babies whose mothers had , including gestational diabetes. It can also happen in babies who are very small, premature, or stressed at birth. Early on, a baby's sugar comes mostly from the mother, so it can drop after birth. Care teams check blood sugar in at-risk babies, sometimes with a small heel stick. Early feeding and are part of care for many babies. Signs can include jitteriness, a floppy feel, poor feeding, or a high-pitched cry. If your baby is hard to wake or seems unusually limp, tell the nurse right away.
The deeper version
Neonatal hypoglycemia is a plasma glucose level below the threshold at which a newborn needs intervention. Thresholds vary by gestational age, hours after birth, and clinical status, as summarized in the AAP clinical report on postnatal glucose homeostasis (Adamkin, Pediatrics, 2011). Fetal effects of maternal hyperglycemia follow the Pedersen hypothesis. Maternal glucose crosses the placenta while maternal insulin does not, so fetal hyperinsulinemia promotes adiposity and , and the neonate loses the maternal glucose supply at birth (Pedersen, 1967). Screening strategies differ across hospitals. The controversy concerns how aggressively to screen asymptomatic infants and whether early feeding alone is enough for most of them.
Where it comes up
- Colostrum and the first days before milk comes inFeeding Your Baby
- The first 24 hoursBirth and the First Days
- Eating with gestational diabetesPregnancy: Eating
- Gestational diabetesPregnancy: Your Body
- Hand expression and collecting colostrum before birthFeeding Your Baby
What mothers here say about neonatal hypoglycemia
No one has posted under this term yet.
Sources
- Adamkin DH and the AAP Committee on Fetus and Newborn — Postnatal glucose homeostasis in late-preterm and term infants, Pediatrics (2011)
- Pedersen J — The Pregnant Diabetic and Her Newborn (1967)