What is Hypoglycaemia?
Hypoglycaemia means low blood sugar, or low blood glucose.
Your baby’s blood sugar levels are carefully regulated by hormones, with insulin playing a key role. Insulin helps the body store sugar (blood glucose) and release it as needed.
In the first few hours after birth, it’s normal for your baby’s blood sugar levels to decrease. They obtain glucose from milk. After feeding, their sugar levels rise, and as the next feed approaches, they gradually dip. Maintaining the right balance of sugar in the blood is a delicate process, especially in newborns. Fortunately, most healthy babies handle these natural fluctuations easily. Feeding your baby on demand or at least every few hours in the first few days, ensures they receive the necessary milk to keep their sugar levels in check.
Risk
Some babies are at increased risk of having hypoglycaemia and illness from this. Your baby may have low blood sugar in the first few hours or days after birth if:
- They are a small/IUGR baby (Intrauterine growth restriction)
- They are a large baby
- They are premature (born before 37 weeks)
- Have a birth parent who has diabetes (Including gestational diabetes)
- Have a birth parent who took beta blockers in the 3rd trimester
- They have been exposed to a shortage of oxygen
Symptoms
The most common signs of hypoglycaemia in newborn babies include;
- Your baby is not interested in feeding or becomes less interested
- Your baby feels cold to touch, has a low body temperature
- Your baby does not respond to you, (lack of movement/lethargy)
- Your baby feels completely floppy (poor muscle tone)
- Your baby makes jerky/jittery movements
- Your baby’s lips and tongue do not look pink
- Your baby is struggling to breathe (fast breathing or deep chest movements, nostrils flaring or making noises with each breath out)
If your baby shows signs of any of these symptoms, please seek medical attention immediately.
Diagnosis
The most accurate way to diagnose hypoglycaemia is with a blood test. Your doctor or midwife should offer the test if they think there’s a chance your baby could have hypoglycaemia.
Your midwife will take a pinprick of blood from your baby’s heel. It’s over very quickly and shouldn’t upset your baby too much. Your baby’s blood will be tested for blood sugar levels either on the ward or in the hospital laboratory.
Treatment
If your baby has hypoglycaemia you will need to stay into hospital so they can have regular blood tests and monitoring.
It is important to keep your baby warm and fed regularly to keep their blood sugar levels normal. If you are breastfeeding and your baby does not breastfeed straight away, a member of staff should check your baby to work out why and support you. If your baby has not breastfed and you have been unable to express your milk, they can give some glucose oral gel as this can be an effective way of bringing up the blood sugar level. A top up of formula may also be advised. The infant feeding team or breastfeeding peer supporters should be asked to help you with feeding your baby.
If the blood glucose level is very low, your baby is too sleepy or unwell to feed, or if the blood glucose continues to be low despite feeding, urgent treatment may be given to administer glucose intravenously. Your baby may be transferred to the neonatal unit until their blood glucose level is stable.
Some babies may suffer serious injuries from hypoglycaemia such as:
- Cerebral Palsy
- Learning disabilities/ development disabilities
- Epilepsy
- Visual impairment
- Hearing impairment
It is therefore very important that this is dealt with and monitored quickly and properly.
Low blood sugar in newborns is usually very easily treated, however if it goes undiagnosed and/or untreated for too long, it can cause brain injury and problems with your baby’s development and in some cases, it can lead to seizures, coma, and very rarely death.
How can we help?
It can be difficult to understand why your child has suffered a brain injury and you may have lots of unanswered questions. Thinking about the support your child will require and how you will cope as a family can be frightening and stressful.
We understand that a brain injury has a devastating and life-long impact on the child and their whole family and as the child develops, their support needs can change.
At Ison Harrison, we have a great deal of experience working with families to help them understand why an injury occurred and pursuing financial compensation to help implement the care, therapy, treatment and equipment required to ensure their child’s needs are fully supported and their future is secure.
If you have concerns that your child has sustained a brain injury resulting from delayed diagnosis or treatment of hypoglycaemia, please call us on 0113 284 5745 or email to clinneg@isonharrison.co.uk . A member of our team will listen to your story and progress your enquiry in a caring and sensitive matter.
