Most expectant Mothers who intend to breastfeed their newborns are aware that giving birth in the hospital runs the risk of having your baby get a bottle of sugar water (aka “baby crack”) by a well intentioned but seriously misguided nurse, perhaps to pacify a fussy baby in order to let Mom sleep.Â
Another reason a newborn may be given sugar water is for “pain management” when the baby receives the synthetic K injection, Hep B shot or newborn screening tests involving a heel prick.
Besides the fact that this sugar water contains glucose derived from genetically modified (GMO) corn, giving a baby an artificial nipple before breastfeeding is established is a great threat to the future breastfeeding relationship between Mom and baby.
As a result, clued in Moms are now advised to include a “no sugar water” clause in their birth plans, with doulas and other birthing advocates remaining watchful while Mom is resting or baby is out of the room for whatever reason.
Now, there is a new game in town that is commonly being used to derail breastfeeding after a hospital birth and arbitrarily give GMO laced commercial formula to babies.
This reason is neonatal hypoglycemia or low blood sugar.
I first became aware of this problem when a friend sent me an email about it. She had been made aware of the situation by a doula from New Mexico who said that women who start off breastfeeding in the hospital are being told by the nurses that their babies have low blood sugar and they need to have formula right away. This misguided advice caused a large number of mothers to stop breastfeeding out of concern that neonatal hypoglycemia might cause harm such as brain damage.
So what’s the truth? Do babies ever need formula instead of rich, immune system boosting colostrum in the hours and days after birth due to blood sugar problems?
The short answer is a resounding NO! Â Before I thoroughly debunk the egregious practice of using low blood sugar as an excuse to give newborns GMO commercial formula, let’s go over the causes, symptoms and problems associated with the condition.
What Causes Low Blood Sugar in Newborns?
It is true that babies can suffer from hypoglycemia or low blood sugar after birth. Â Babies are at increased risk for hypoglycemia if any of the following conditions were present:
- The baby was premature, had a serious infection, or needed oxygen right after delivery.
- Mom has gestational diabetes.
- The baby suffers from hypothyroidism or has a rare genetic disorder.
- The baby experienced poor growth in the womb during pregnancy.
- The baby is smaller in size for gestational age.
Symptoms of neonatal hypoglycemia include:
- Bluish-colored or pale skin
- Breathing problems, such as pauses in breathing (apnea), rapid breathing, or a grunting sound
- Irritability or listlessness
- Loose or floppy muscles
- Poor feeding or vomiting
- Problems keeping the baby warm
- Tremors, shakiness, sweating, or seizures
It is important to note that neonatal hypoglycemia may sometimes be present with no symptoms at all.
Is Low Blood Sugar in Newborns Dangerous?
Low blood sugar can indeed be a problem for newborns if severe or persistent as it can affect the baby’s mental function. Rarely, brain damage, heart failure or seizures can occur.
Unfortunately, fear of lawsuits has generated an irrational fear of neonatal hypoglycemia that has resulted in the widespread acceptance by hospital staff that breastfeeding mothers should be separated from their babies with newborns given supplemental formula in the hours and days after birth.
This hyper fear is causing even full term, normal weight babies to be given the painful test for low blood sugar when they don’t need it and many of those to be given formula when it isn’t warranted.
Formula feeding to babies by hospital staff gives new mothers the mistaken and very wrong impression that formula is medicine and good for the baby. It also causes many breastfeeding Moms to lose faith in their ability to properly nourish their children with their own colostrum and milk which interrupts and frequently ends the breastfeeding relationship for good right at the time when baby needs it most!
No Accepted Level for Neonatal Low Blood Sugar
The fact is that there is no generally accepted level that indicates baby has low blood sugar. According to the International Breastfeeding Center, the blood sugar levels required in many hospitals border on absurd with 3.4 mmol/L (60 mg %) routinely considered the lowest acceptable blood sugar.
There is no evidence to back up such a level as the lowest acceptable blood sugar concentration.
In addition, there is no reliable method for accurately measuring blood sugar outside a lab environment. Â The use of paper strips is not reliable as they tend to underestimate the true value. Â Truly accurate measures are obtained only by the laboratory which are able to provide a reliable measure of plasma glucose or sugar.
Hospitals Testing for Low Blood Sugar at the Wrong Time
Another problem is that many babies are tested for low blood sugar right after birth and then an hour later with formula being immediately and arbitrarily given if the blood sugar has dropped – even for normal weight, healthy, term babies!
This is totally inappropriate as research has shown that it is normal for the blood sugar in a neonate to drop in the first hour or two after birth! Â Moreover, a newborn’s blood sugar will naturally rise after the initial drop in the hours after birth – even if the baby is not fed!
Colostrum is Superior to Formula to Treat and Prevent Low Blood Sugar
A little bit of colostrum such as what a newborn would receive from Mom in the first hours after birth maintains blood sugar better than a lot of formula. Babies that are being breastfed have much higher levels of ketone bodies in their blood than formula fed babies or breastfed babies given formula supplements (Pediatrics Vol. 109 No. 3 March 2002, pp. e42). Ketone bodies are highly protective of the baby’s brain.
In addition, babies have been shown to maintain blood sugar better when skin to skin contact with the mother occurs such as would happen with breastfeeding.
If colostrum is superior to formula in maintaining healthy blood sugar levels in a newborn why then are breastfeeding mothers being encouraged by misinformed hospital staff to supplement with GMO laced commercial formula in order to treat an arbitrary condition like neonatal low blood sugar where the required blood sugar concentration is not even scientifically proven as accurate?
Simply criminal isn’t it?
What to Do if Low Blood Sugar Truly is an Issue
Suppose the rare case presents itself where an exclusively breastfed baby truly does have blood sugar levels that are dropping too rapidly or are too low? Â In those situations, mothers and birth advocates should request that the baby be given banked breastmilk, ideally fed with a Lact-Aid, and not formula. Â According to the International Breastfeeding Center, every postpartum unit should have banked breastmilk ready and available on site.
The second best option as an alternative to formula is to give the baby an intravenous infusion of glucose rather than formula by mouth.
Whether banked breastmilk or a glucose IV is given, the baby should continue to breastfeed as usual with no interruption!
Be on your guard, breastfeeding Moms as the low blood sugar excuse may be used on you to derail your breastfeeding efforts in the hospital!  Make sure appropriate action for dealing with this hospital scenario is clearly outlined in your birth plan.  Better yet, skip the hospital and have your baby at home or at a birth center instead and avoid the whole problem from the get go!
Sarah, The Healthy Home Economist
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Eeek…
I’m not sure I would resort to having my baby at home, but I certainly will talk about my birthing plan with my doctors. From my experience with my first child, I know how hectic it can get and if you don’t go over these things with your doctor, they start making all kinds of decisions for you. Thank you for the information – its very helpful.
My third baby was my smallest, being born at 5lbs 13oz despite being a week late. They refused to let me do skin to skin, and kept him wrapped in three blankets, they kept telling me that his blood sugar was low and and his temp was low, and I couldn’t leave til they were up. He needs glucose water, he NEEDS it. This being my third, I said “no, here is my nursing log, he is nursing every 1.5 hrs or so, and here is his diaper log, he is fine.” By the second day, my milk was in ( and his blood sugars were normal) and he was holding his temp more steady and we were allowed to leave.
I had to have a c-section with both of my babies. The hospital staff were very pushy about what they thought should happen after birth and I was very exhausted. My first born was an emergency after 12 hours of labor as well. It was hard to voice opinions and fight for what I knew was right when I could barely breath let alone stay awake. I told my husband what I wanted, what was important, and trusted him with most of our protection. Yes, Protection, because I knew they would push formula at me and shots and trying to take him/them out of the room. I had my kids in a very small town and even there the staff were trying to push me into doing things with my kids I didn’t feel was healthy. Don’t trust them. It is the best thing in the world for doctors and health care workers if another person grows up with a million health problems and the easiest way to ensure that is to get them hooked on sugar so they are obese and sick all the time. Health care providers don’t provide health, not anymore.
Here in KY, they are using jaundice as their excuse. As in, “You’re not producing enough milk and the baby’s jaundiced. We need to formula feed right away!”. WTH?
@AD McClure:
Here’s an article explaining the physiologic mechanisms of breastfeeding jaundice and breastmilk jaundice. As an MD, I am 100% in favor of breastfeeding, but in some cases breast milk actually does worsen jaundice and could actually lead to kernicterus, which is when the bilirubin level gets so high it can cause permanent brain damage. This is not common, but it is the reason we as pediatricians are so concerned about jaundice. We usually continue breastfeeding, but if the infant is not taking in enough calories in some situations we do have to supplement because it is imperative that the infant is adequately hydrated and fed in these situations.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11803412
I don’t have data to back this up, but it seems logical that if a mother is not allowed to have food while she labors (as is the case in most hospitals), then HER blood sugar is low, affecting the baby.
Another reason to labor and birth at home if at ALL possible!! I enjoyed eating and drinking whatever I wanted during my homebirths. And I never got that horrible shaky weak hypoglycemia feeling under just after the birth, but by then I was riding on happy hormones and telling the people around me to fetch steak and cake. 🙂
I always wondered if the hypoglycemia in newborns is somehow related to the hospital rule of “no food for the mother” just in case surgery is required. Maybe mom is hypoglycemic going into delivery and it results in a hypoglycemic baby as well. I gave birth in a Japanese hospital where they don’t have the “no eating” rule and we had no problems. But maybe it’s just coincidence.
Just found your blog. This article caught my eye, since my third child was given formula in the hospital. This was 16 years ago, and I was told he had low blood sugar. Being over 10 pounds at birth, they told me, it was standard for them to have low blood sugar. I was annoyed, but he was not deterred! Still, it’s interesting that you make it sound like some new thing. They were doing this way back then, too!
Of course, with my older two, we were poor and on WIC, and while they preached to breastfeed until 1 year old, they were shocked every month, when I told them I still was. When my baby turned one, they wanted me to wean him immediately. Good grief!
This happened to us! We planned to have our first at a Birthing Center but after complications ended up in the Hospital. Luckily our midwives were able to come with us and deliver the baby. However after they left a nurse came in and told me that the baby had low blood sugar and I needed to feed her formula (as I was sitting there nursing her successfully). I said, “Ok, thanks.” Took the bottle from her (did not give it to the baby) and when she walked out of the room, put the bottle aside and continued to nurse my baby. I couldn’t believe that my nursing was less beneficial to her low blood sugar than the formula! When my midwife returned she couldn’t believe that they had tried to do that and was glad that I had let my mother’s instinct to continue nursing win.