What you need to know about neonatal hypoglycemia
Glucose is an essential nutrient for the brain. Neonatal hypoglycemia is an abnormally low level of blood glucose ("blood sugar") occurring in the newborn period, usually within a few hours of birth up to several days of age.

Abnormally low blood glucose levels can cause long-term neurological injury such as cerebral palsy (brain damage) in infants. Conditions which increase a baby's risk for neonatal hypoglycemia (risk factors) include gestational diabetes, pre-eclampsia (pregnancy induced hypertension - toxemia of pregnancy), small or large babies and fetal distress. Babies who, for any reason, do not nurse well in the first few days of life are at risk of neonatal hypoglycemia. Difficulties with breast-feeding, particularly for first-time mothers, can result in neonatal hypoglycemia.

Signs of neonatal hypoglycemia may include the following:

• No signs at all - some babies may be hypoglycemic but asymptomatic.
• Jitteriness (often one of the earliest signs)
• Listlessness
• Irritability
• Hypothermia
• Respiratory distress
• Apnea (cessation of breathing)
• Weak or high-pitched cry
• Lack of muscle tone or weakness (hypotonia)
• Poor feeding (often one of the earliest signs)
• Convulsions, tremors, seizures or coma (late signs)

If your baby has any risk factors for neonatal hypoglycemia or demonstrates any of these signs, he or she must be tested for hypoglycemia. Testing includes checking the blood at frequent intervals for glucose level. Low blood glucose levels may require glucose supplementation of the infant's feedings, or if severe, IV glucose.

Do I have a case?
In general, the standard of care does not require screening of all newborn infants for hypoglycemia, however if there are any risk factors or any signs of hypoglycemia, the pediatrician and the hospital may be required to test for hypoglycemia and treat it if present. If the healthcare providers failed to properly do this, and your baby was injured or died, you may have a claim. We are usually able to determine if your child's injury may be due to medical malpractice by simply talking with you about what happened.

What do I need to do to prove negligence?
If we are suspicious that doctors or nurses may have been negligent and failed to meet the standard of care, we will review medical records from during your pregnancy and delivery for indications of whether healthcare providers may have committed malpractice. Our expertise in both medicine and law will help determine whether your baby received improper care. If our analysis leads us to believe that your baby was injured by neonatal hypoglycemia caused by medical or nursing negligence, we are able to take legal action against healthcare providers, including doctors, nurses, at hospital, who failed to meet standards of care. We are able to help you anywhere in the U. S.

Click here to contact us. There is no cost or obligation for us to review your case.