Does a Good Quality Breastfeed Improve the Blood Glucose Concentration in Hypoglycaemic Babies?

BACKGROUND: Feeding is often used for the initial treatment of hypoglycaemia, but it is not known if pre-feed alertness and observed quality of breastfeeding are related to the subsequent change in blood glucose concentration.

OBJECTIVE: We sought to determine if assessment of pre-feed alertness and the observed quality of the breastfeed were related to the subsequent change in blood glucose concentration in hypoglycaemic babies.

METHODS: Babies were ≥35 weeks, ≤48 h old, identified as being at-risk for hypoglycaemia (infants of diabetic mothers, small [< 2,500 g or < 10th centile] or large [birthweight > 4,500 g or > 90th centile] birthweight) and hypoglycaemic (< 2.6 mM). Midwives assessed pre-feed alertness and quality of feeding at each hypoglycaemic episode. Change in blood glucose concentration was assessed within 15-90 min.

RESULTS: One hundred and thirty-one babies had 163 hypoglycaemic episodes. Babies assessed as alert had a greater increase in blood glucose concentration than sleepy babies (mean [95% CI] awake 0.71 [0.61-0.82] vs. sleepy 0.51 [0.35-0.66] mM, p = 0.04). The change in blood glucose concentration was similar after feeds of different observed quality (offered, 0.50 [0.29-0.72], latched, 0.66 [0.52-0.81], swallowing 0.65 [0.54-0.76] mM, p = 0.13).

CONCLUSIONS: Observed quality of breastfeeding is not a useful predictor of the change in blood glucose concentration in hypoglycaemic babies.