What is hypoglycaemia?

Neonatal hypoglycaemia is a condition where a newborn baby’s blood sugar (glucose – the main fuel for the brain and the body) falls to a very low level. Once the baby’s umbilical cord has been cut, they no longer receive a supply of glucose from their mother, so they need to maintain their own blood sugar levels through feeds. 

A transient reduction in blood glucose is expected as part of metabolic adaption following birth. This should resolve itself within the first 48 to 72 hours of life. However, a minority of newborn babies experience prolonged and severe hypoglycaemia if the symptoms are not recognised and the baby’s blood levels are not monitored and restored through feeding, or, in more acute circumstances, an intravenous glucose drip.

A prolonged and severe state of hypoglycaemia can result in permanent brain damage leaving the baby with severe and long term neurological and cognitive disabilities, seizures and developmental delay. The extent of the injuries is dependent on the extremity of the index injury.

Whilst all babies are at risk of developing neonatal hypoglycaemia, certain babies are at a higher risk. Most babies with hypoglycaemia are initially asymptotic and detection is based on surveillance of babies who are at high risk of developing hypoglycaemia, such as:

• Babies born to mothers with diabetes
• Babies who are born premature or with a low birth weight
• Babies who are born under significant stress
• Babies who have an inadequate amount of external feeding i.e. have a poor suck and/or are vomiting
• Babies who have a low body temperature shortly after birth
• Babies who suffer a hypoxic-ischaemic event during birth (In other words, they are born with significant stress)

A newborn’s blood sugars can be tested by a simple blood test. Symptoms of a baby suffering from neonatal hypoglycemia include:

• Difficulty maintaining a normal body temperature
• Lethargy, pale and floppy
• Trembling
• Poor feeding
• Vomiting
• Irritability, jitteriness, or grunting

The consequences of neonatal hypoglycaemia can be extremely serious, resulting in long term disabilities and in grave circumstances, death as a result of complete energy failure.

A medical negligence case can be brought against a trust where there have been delays in obtaining blood glucose test results, delays in taking subsequent action, delays in administration of IV glucose, giving an insufficient or incorrect dosage of IV glucose, delayed attendance by the paediatrician, and failures to address the mother’s concerns, and as a result; a child has suffered from permanent and serious injuries. In our experience, problems typically seem to arise after the midwifery team fail to notice that the baby is not feeding properly after birth, either by not feeding at all or by failing to latch & suck. The problems seem to arise more frequently in first-time mothers as they are not as familiar with the typical feeding patterns of a newborn.   

Our specialist clinical negligence team are experienced in obtaining compensation for children whose neurological disability has been caused as a result of substandard care during or shortly after birth. We are dedicated to assessing the full impact of the injury and ensuring our clients are fully compensated alongside obtaining rehabilitative therapies to aid with a child’s development.