Did anyones LO's have very low blood sugar

[080509]

Hi everyone, i've BF before so i sort of know what to expect. I've got type 1 diabetes and my last pregnancy went well with it, and my LO's blood sugars were fine at birth, this time i'm really struggling and i'm being prepared for our baby to be hypo at birth
What usually happens? Do they give formula? Or do they let you try and feed first? I plan on Bfing, i'm not against formula but ideally i want to give BF my best shot! Has anyone's LO had very low sugars at birth?

 

[cautious...]

My LO had very low sugar levels at birth. Due to a difficult labour I had to go into theatre after the birth (so couldn't latch LO on straight away) but they did try to express some colostrum into a syringe when i got out but couldn't get any out so he needed a formula feed. I stayed in hospital for 3 days after the birth and continued to formula feed while trying to breast feed at each feed. They were quick to give formula due to the low sugar levels and also because LO had a low temperature, and because I didn't produce milk straight away and we couldn't afford to wait.

I combi fed for a bit at the start but have been EBF for about 7 weeks. After the first few feeds LO's blood sugar levels regulated. If I could go back I think I would have dropped the formula as soon as the sugar levels regulated rather than a few weeks later.

I got the impression that if that first breastfeed had been successful they wouldn't have pushed formula. They tested LO's sugar levels every 3 hours until he had three normal readings.

Good luck! Xx

 

[080509]

Thankyou! i don't mind him having formula at first if its needed, i'm just concerned over nipple/teat confusion, but i'm sure it will be okay, trying to stay positive about it all! x

 

[cat_reversing]

lo had low bs at birth, i had gd and was on low dose insulin. had ecsec but did feed within the hour baby born. baby given formula on post natal ward and i fed as well. i wasn't in any state to argue and just wanted baby to be ok and for them to stop pricking her heel to chec bs! we continued combifeed for a couple months as she was angry newborn and oh was concerned she wouldn't get all she needed from me. kicked the frmula after about 2 half months.

 

[seaweed eater]

Mine had low sugar at birth. I don't think it was "very" low, but low enough to keep him in the hospital (together with hypothermia).

He got up to 15 ml of formula every 3 hours, for the 4 days he was in there. He got it via SNS, which in retrospect I think was very very important in helping BF continue to go well. Although he also took to BF well from the start, always had a good latch and sucked well, etc, so we were lucky with that. But I would definitely do SNS if you plan to BF.

Also definitely feed on demand and at least every 3 hours. Sometimes NICU staff are not that supportive of cluster feeding on demand, because they are more used to babies being on a schedule. It's good that you have BF before and know that newborns often want to suck all the time, and that it's important to your supply to keep nursing them. And pump whenever you can to make up for the formula LO is getting. It is really exhausting at first but pays off when you can quit the supplements and EBF on demand.

 

[amelia26]

My son had low blood sugar at birth. He was born by section under general anesthetic so I wasn't with him straight away When I came round they asked if they could give formula due to low bs. I asked if there was time for me to express and they said there was. I managed to put him to the breast a while after but both of us were drowsy and it didn't really work. I kept expressing and he was fed by syringe. He didn't need any formula but I don't know exactly how low his blood sugar was.

If you are concerned about nipple confusion, ask for baby to be fed by syringe or cup, not bottle.

 

[shambaby]

I had GD and had a c-section. I had to feed Zoe within an hour of birth, whichwe just managed to get out of theatre in time for, and then her blood sugar was checked after a couple more hours. It wasn't low, but was borderline - 2.6 and the cut off was 2.5. At that they said I needed to feed her again and it was checked again and was fine. Had it been low she would have needed a supplemental feed. If you are ok with lo having formula but worried about nipple confusion just make sure it's given by cup or syringe rather than a bottle. I wanted to avoid formula if possible so I expressed and froze colostrum before she was born and took it with me in case it was needed.

 

[Kellen]

Mine had low sugars (around 36 if I believe... they wanted above 60). They allowed us to try a feed before formula. Her sugars shot up to over 72 and stayed that way. They did a heel prick to test sugars before and after each feed to make sure that she was doing okay.