Neonatal hypoglycemia (low blood sugar (glucose) level in newborns) can affect your baby depending on the age when they?re born. Low blood sugar can occur in babies born late preterm (35-37 weeks gestation), full term (39-40 weeks gestation), and late term (41 weeks gestation) babies who are otherwise considered healthy.
Learning that your new baby has a health condition can be scary but feel empowered in this situation. There are things you can do to assist with improving your baby?s blood glucose. Baby uses glucose to fuel their body, create energy, and maintain a normal temperature. So, blood sugar is pretty important, and it can be managed.
Experts recommend the following activities to help baby keep a stable amount of blood sugar:

Hold baby skin-to-skin against your bare chest Nurse or bottle feed baby frequently, especially if you see baby opening their mouth like they?re ready to nurse
When breastfeeding, support baby?s latch onto your breast when they seem interested in feeding or are hungry
Supplement with donor milk or formula as needed

When these actions aren?t enough to help baby with their blood sugar level, your otherwise healthy baby may be transferred to the NICU until their blood sugar is stable. Baby may even receive glucose gel or sugar through an IV.
How Concerning is Neonatal Hypoglycemia"
In the U.S., low blood sugar levels affect approximately 1 in 6 newborns. Most often, babies who need support stabilizing their blood sugar are born between we...