Your Baby's First Hours
Reviewed by CDE Mehandi Sharma · Updated
Your baby will have their blood sugar checked in the hours after birth, and it helps to know why before it happens rather than being alarmed by it.
Throughout the pregnancy your baby has been producing extra insulin to handle the glucose crossing from you. At delivery that supply stops abruptly, but the baby's insulin production takes a little while to adjust. For a few hours they can have more insulin than they now need, and their blood sugar can drop.
That is neonatal hypoglycemia. It is expected often enough after a GDM pregnancy that checking is routine, and it is why heel-prick tests are done in the first hours.
This is also why early and frequent feeding matters. Feeding soon after birth, and then regularly, is the main way of supporting your baby's blood sugar. Occasionally a baby needs additional feeding support or a glucose supplement for a short period.
Other things watched for include jaundice, which is more common after a GDM pregnancy, breathing that takes a little longer to settle, and a check on the blood count.
Most babies need nothing beyond monitoring and feeding. And a paediatrician is often present at or soon after the delivery — this is standard precaution, not a sign anyone expects a problem.