Low Glucose in Newborns

[Meesh36]

Hi,

I'm reaching out because I can't sleep and can't find much online relating to my newborns niggling issue. At the end of my pregnancy I had high blood pressure, due to the medication I was given my baby had low glucose levels when born and was taking to NICU on the first night.

Initially I thought it would just be for a couple of nights at most, however 5 nights in and he's still there and I'm beginning to find it difficult to see any end in sight. The doctors just keep telling us that sugar levels "usually" sort themselves out with a few days. The days are going on but they don't seem to be settling for our baby boy.

Has anyone had a similar journey? I've become obsessed with knowing his glucose levels. I'm at home without my baby and it's breaking my heart

That’s tough that you’re at home while your baby is still in hospital 🥲.

My son was born with very low BS. He went straight to SCBU and I think on day 2 he went onto a glucose drip as formula was not helping as it should. This finally did the trick and his BS did increase.

I didn’t have Gestational Diabetes but he was a big boy at 10lb 6oz so they do check with the smaller and larger babies.
In his case it took about a week until he was discharged….. I was lucky as they kept me on the post natal ward.

My boy is now 11 so it’s a distant memory. I hope your little one turns a corner soon.

Our baby boy was on SCBU for 3 nights, so not as long, but he continued to have the checks when they did let him back on the ward with me and was still tube fed for a couple more days.
It was terrifying and I didn't believe any of the nurses or doctors or even the big boss when they brought him to see me, they all kept saying it's the effect of the BP medication and it will sort itself out. It always seemed like we would get a good level and then the next one would be a bad one and I couldn't see the end. I had SCBU ringing the ward every couple of hours through the night so I could be kept up to date with the levels, it was like an obsession.
When the levels picked up it all happened very quickly, he went from being hooked up to all the monitors to nothing in just a few hours.
I know I can't relate exactly but it is hard, you do what you need to and if that means obsessing over levels that is ok, in a few days I'm sure you will not even know what they are anymore because they will stabilise.
Wishing you both the best x

@Ballsaque thanks for replying and so pleased your boy made a full recovery. He too is on a glucose drip and although it's lower than it was initially, it hasn't been lowered in a couple of days and this his levels haven't been too promising.

Yes @scg18 that's exactly what happens, he'll be doing really well and we think we're getting somewhere and then there's a drop and we're back to blank faces and no answers. Glad to hear the end recovery happened quite quickly, I did wonder if it is to "sort itself out" how quickly would it be in the end.

Just called NICU and tonight's were quite low but not low enough for them to check his insulin levels which is the next step apparently. It's so hard, his poor little heels are in bits from all the pricking too.

Yes the heel pricks 🥲.

I’m sure it’s more common than we realise and the hospital will be used to this. Absolutely horrendous when it’s your baby though!!

I hope his levels improve soon

@Meesh36

DS was taken up to the NICU with very very low blood sugar about two hours after birth. They were actually surprised he was still awake with such a low reading and he was put straight on a glucose drip.

He was in for about 5 days and although the readings slowly got better it was backwards and forwards for a bit and on and off the drip. They were very careful and cautious with him which was great but obviously very hard to be away from him. I was desperate to have him back with me!

They did mention his testing his insulin levels but in the end they concluded it was just a temporary reaction to my blood pressure medication. Hypoglycaemia in newborns is really quite common I found out. You have to remember that its an everyday thing for the doctors while obviously being a really tough experience for you.

He's now a really happy and healthy 8 month old who tracked his curve perfectly, breastfed really well and eats lots of solids so although it wasn't an ideal first week it didn't have any long term affects.

Hope that helps- at the time I was desperate for information and found it really hard to find!