Protecting your baby
from low blood sugar
For further support when you are at home, contact
your community midwife, or the Infant Feeding
Team at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital.
Contact information
Infant Feeding Team
Chelsea and Westminster Hospital
369 Fulham Road
London
SW10 9NH
Patient Advice & Liaison Service (PALS)
If you have concerns or wish to give feedback about
services, your care or treatment, you can contact the
PALS office on the Ground Floor of the hospital just
behind the main reception.
Alternatively, you can send us your comments or
suggestions on one of our comment cards, available at
the PALS office, or on a feedback form on our website
www.chelwest.nhs.uk/pals.
We value your opinion and invite you to provide us
with feedback.
T: 020 3315 6727
E: [email protected]
T: 020 3315 3017
Protecting your
baby from low
blood sugar
Information for parents
Notes
Chelsea and Westminster Hospital
369 Fulham Road
London
SW10 9NH
T: 020 3315 8000
W: www.chelwest.nhs.uk
January 2016
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Speak to your clinician
What is low blood sugar?
How to avoid low blood sugars
You have been given this leaflet because your baby
is—or may be—at increased risk of having low blood
sugar (also called low blood glucose or hypoglycaemia).
Hold your baby in skin to skin contact
Babies who are small, premature, whose mothers are
diabetic or who have experienced particular stress may
have low blood sugars after birth, and it is especially
important that they feed as often as possible in order
to keep their blood sugar at normal levels.
It is recommended that they have regular blood tests
to check their blood sugar levels are normal. Low blood
sugar levels, in severe cases, could cause damage to
the baby’s nerves and brain, resulting in developmental
problems, if not treated. This is why it is important to
ensure your baby’s blood sugar levels remain normal.
Blood sugar testing
Naked skin contact on your chest helps keep your baby
calm and warm, increases their blood sugar level and
stimulates your baby to feed. Baby should wear a hat
and be covered with a blanket or towel.
Keep baby warm
Your baby should feel slightly warm to touch, except
for their hands and feet which may feel quite cool.
Put a hat on your baby for the first few days. Keep
your baby in skin contact on your chest, covered with
a blanket, or wrap warmly with blankets if left in cot.
Feed as soon as possible after birth
Ask a member of staff to support you with feeding.
Feed as often as possible in the first few days
Do this whenever you notice “feeding cues” which show
he/she is interested in feeding—moving lips, tongue,
hands, sucking fingers, turning head.
Feed for as long as you can
This will ensure your baby gets as much milk as possible.
Feed at least every 3 hours
If your baby is not showing any feeding cues yet, hold
him/her skin to skin and start to offer a feed about 2
hours after the start of the previous feed.
Express your milk
Heel-prick blood test
Your baby’s blood glucose is tested by a heel-prick
blood test. Only one drop of blood is needed and it can
be done while you are holding your baby skin-to-skin.
The first blood test should be done 3–4 hours after
birth, and then at regular intervals up to 2–3 days
of age.
You will need to stay in hospital for the blood glucose
testing and the blood test result is available immediately.
If you are breastfeeding and your baby does not feed well,
you can give expressed breastmilk. It is very reassuring
to have a small amount of milk saved in case you need it
later. A member of staff will show you how to express
your milk, or see www.chelwest.nhs.uk/breastfeeding.
You can practice hand expressing before your baby is
born (after 37 weeks) and save the expressed milk in
case your baby needs it. Expressed milk can be kept at
room temperature for up to 6 hours, in the fridge for
up to 5 days, or in the freezer for longer.
If you are breastfeeding and your baby does not
feed straight away, and you have not managed to
express any breastmilk yet, you will be advised to
offer infant formula.
Very occasionally, if babies are too sleepy or unwell
to feed, or if the blood sugar is still low after feeding,
they may need to go to the Special Care Baby Unit
to be fed through a small tube inserted through
the nose into the stomach (nasogastric tube) or
to have a drip (intravenous infusion).
If you are breastfeeding and are advised to give
some infant formula, this is most likely to be for
a few feeds only. You should continue to offer
breastfeeds and try to express milk as often as
possible to ensure your milk supply increases.
After the first few days
Once you have been told that your baby is no
longer at risk of low blood sugar, you should feed
your baby whenever he/she wants.
There is no need to continue waking your baby to
feed every 2–3 hours, unless this is recommended
for a particular reason.
You should feed for as long, and as much as he/
she wants.
If you are breastfeeding, make sure you feed at least
8 times in 24 hours (most babies feed more often).
If you are bottle feeding, make sure you are not
“overfeeding” your baby—wait for “feeding cues”
and allow the baby to take as much milk as he/
she wants.
Low blood glucose test result
Follow your baby’s appetite and check whether he/
she is getting enough milk by checking the colour
of dirty nappies, and how often he/she has wet
and dirty nappies.
If the blood glucose test result is low (below 2.6mmol/L),
your baby must feed as soon as possible. Another blood
glucose test will be done 1 hour later.
For further information see Off to the Best Start
and Breastfeeding Guidance leaflets and the chart
How Do I Know My Baby is Getting Enough Milk?