Is a blood sugar test on newborns standard, even if mom doesnt have GD?

[DeChRi]

Just curious. This is my 3rd and I have been lucky to have no GD issues with any of them. I did a week of monitoring at home vs the glucola test and my OB said I had "freakishly stable blood sugar readings". I think that was a compliment.

So when I went to pre-reg at the hospital and the lady was trying to get me to sign the thing saying I consent to the million tests they do on the new baby, one she noted was a heel stick for blood sugar readings. I asked her if that was normal for mom's without GD and she said they do it with all babies. I brought the form home to pick and choose my preferences, but am wondering if that is standard at every hospital?

[NortheastSuperstar]

They did at the hospital I had DS2 and DS3. I wouldn't have thought twice about it, but we had a horrible experience due to this. DS2 had a blood sugar level a couple points lower than their (arbitrary?) cutoff. This meant he needed to have his heel stuck every 3 hrs around the clock until he got 4 consecutive 'good' readings. They also made me give him formula and only breastfeed him after he had drained one of their bottles.

He was 9.5lbs (all my babies are big) and I didn't have GD. He also had no symptoms of low blood sugar.

Luckily with some work we were able to ditch all the bottles when we got home and re-establish breastfeeding.

[DeChRi]

Oh wow, what a crappy experience!! That worries me a bit just because I have good sized babies as well.

[Kellyh_01]

Our hospital does them if mom is diabetic, if baby weighs greater than 4,000 grams or less than 2,500 grams, or if baby is symptomatic. Our policy says to test at 1 hour, 3 hours, and 6 hours after birth. If they are normal then no more are done. Sometimes the pediatrician may have us check just one, and if it's fine then that's all. If baby is low then our first choice is to get baby onto the breast.

[rootzdawta]

Moved from I'm Pregnant to Birth and Beyond.

[lifeguard]

I had gd & they didn't do a blood test because it was obvious ds was doing so well. Obviously it's more to do with the individual hospital.

[moonmama22]

They did this with my first - he was 9lb.9oz. and they said they did it with all babies over 9lbs. I was not supposed to nurse him until after they tested him (I believe every 4 hours for the first 18-24?) but I cheated when they weren't looking. I honestly didn't argue because I had already refused other stuff, and I was exhausted and figured at least it was nothing they were putting into him... I know, poor excuses, but at the time it was really just annoying to me, and easier to get through the first 24 hours... Otherwise, they were very accepting of the other stuff we insisted on!

[nia82]

Back in CA it was a standard procedure. My birth plan only allowed it for low birth weight baby, DS was below 6 pounds and I was ok with it. He was fine, I think I won't agree to it again with future babies.

[Kreeblim]

Originally Posted by Kellyh_01

Our hospital does them if mom is diabetic, if baby weighs greater than 4,000 grams or less than 2,500 grams, or if baby is symptomatic. Our policy says to test at 1 hour, 3 hours, and 6 hours after birth. If they are normal then no more are done. Sometimes the pediatrician may have us check just one, and if it's fine then that's all. If baby is low then our first choice is to get baby onto the breast.

This was what happened at my hospital. Our last was 8lbs. 15oz. and they said it was Standard. After the three hour test when we were all woken up by the extremely loud nurse (and of course the poor little baby getting a heel stick) I tried to argue against the 6 hour test since I had no history of GD. She actually retorted that I have no idea whether I had GD since there is a big neon sticky note in my file that says "refused GD testing" I think my at home blood sugar testing was pretty accurate but they didn't "see" it themselves so it didn't count. I was really too exhausted to argue further.

[kltroy]

I got the impression that it was standard with "big" babies. My daughter was 8#7 (can't remember what that is in grams) - she was just over the threshold for them wanting to test. I was annoyed about that but they only stuck her once and they needed to for PKU etc anyway, so fine. I don't recall them testing my son (7#10) at all for glucose.

[hildare]

they tested my 10 pound dd after a c birth and i would probably not have allowed that if i had known. they used it as an excuse to give her formula and then they acted surprised when i wanted to pump for her to get sugars stable. (the only bad experience we had in hospital, though)

[YvonneC-M]

I didn't have GD but my 8 lb 11oz newborn got her heal pricked at the hospital because she arrived two weeks before her due date and was therefore large for her gestational age. (By my calculations, she wasn't early at all.) The test turned out fine.

[Kelly1101]

Not at my hospital, my baby was 7lb4. If you have no reason to worry, I wouldn't do it.

[DeChRi]

I don't remember with my first (she is 11yo) and honestly, with my last the labor was so long and hard, I am not sure if they did or not, as it was not one I was watching for. Last one was 8lb9oz at 39wks. I have zero worries about GD and unless they can either use the same heal stick they do for the PKU, OR baby has some odd reason to make me think it is needed, we will porbably just opt out.

I appreciate all of the experience and thoughts!

[Belle]

Dd1 was 8lbs, 2oz at 38+4. She never had her blood sugar checked in the hospital or by the ped.

Dd2 was born at home. We weren't pestered for anything we didn't want. I don't think it was even offered. Even by our ped.

[texaspeach]

the hospital I was at did bG testing on large babies, not sure what the cut off was - ds was 9lb 8oz (I screened negative for gd) and had two bG tests, both done while he was nursing. afaik it isn't part of the routine procedures if baby is not large

[PlayaMama]

i was about 2 weeks postdates and my ds was 8 lbs 4 oz and they tested him. his sugars were exceptionally low and he was lethargic so they had me try to nurse him but he just fell asleep and then they tried to get him to take a bottle and he stayed asleep and then they tube fed him and his levels were still low.

i want to say they were in the mid to upper 20s. i know when we went home that he'd finally hit 36.

he was put on an iv probably 3 hours after birth and stayed there for two days. either myself, my mil, or my dh was with him and holding him this entire time except for when the nursing shift changed. after a bit of trouble starting nursing (my boobies were bigger than his whole head and he couldn't get the nipple in his mouth) i nursed him every time he woke up.

he levels slowly went up until the doctor was comfortable taking him off the iv.

i will note that sometimes there are no symptoms to low blood sugar and it can cause brain damage so i felt comfortable having it done.

my dd did not have it doen but she was alert and nursing within seconds of being born. she was just hyper aware compared to my ds at birth.

[prothyraia]

At the hospital where my oldest was born, they did heel sticks on babies over a certain birth weight.

[feminist~mama]

Originally Posted by Kellyh_01

Our hospital does them if mom is diabetic, if baby weighs greater than 4,000 grams or less than 2,500 grams, or if baby is symptomatic. Our policy says to test at 1 hour, 3 hours, and 6 hours after birth. If they are normal then no more are done. Sometimes the pediatrician may have us check just one, and if it's fine then that's all. If baby is low then our first choice is to get baby onto the breast.

That's very close to our policy too- except we do 2 hours, then 6 hours, and I can't remember the next interval. We discontinue testing after 2 good readings, so most of the time we don't do the 3rd!

And we don't test at 4000 grams- I think we test over 4500 grams.

Originally Posted by DeChRi

... unless they can either use the same heal stick they do for the PKU, OR baby has some odd reason to make me think it is needed, we will porbably just opt out.

The PKU can't be done before 12 hours, so that won't work. You'll have to go with the "symptomatic or opt out" instead!

[DeChRi]

Thanks for the heads up!