A nurse is assessing a newborn whose mother has gestational diabetes for signs of hypoglycemia. The nurse should check the newborn’s blood glucose level within how many hours after birth?
A nurse is assessing a newborn whose mother has gestational diabetes for signs of hypoglycemia.
The nurse should check the newborn’s blood glucose level within how many hours after birth?
Correct Answer
A
Explanation
The correct answer is choice A. The nurse should check the newborn’s blood glucose level within one hour after birth. This is because newborns of mothers with gestational diabetes are at risk of developing hypoglycemia due to hyperinsulinemia. Hypoglycemia can cause neurological damage or death if not treated promptly.
Choice B is wrong because two hours may be too late to detect and treat hypoglycemia in a newborn at risk.
Choice C is wrong because three hours is definitely too late to check the blood glucose level of a newborn at risk of hypoglycemia.
Choice D is wrong because four hours is way too late to check the blood glucose level of a newborn at risk of hypoglycemia.
The normal blood glucose level for a newborn is between 70 and 150 mg/dL. However, some infants may have transient low blood glucose levels as low as 25 mg/dL within the first two hours of life, which is physiologic and self-limited. Infants with risk factors for hypoglycemia, such as maternal diabetes, should be screened at 2 hours of age and then before each feeding for the first and second days of life. A blood glucose level of less than 45 mg/dL in an asymptomatic infant or less than 36 mg/dL in a symptomatic infant is considered hypoglycemic and requires treatment.