Neonatal hypoglycemia in response to maternal glucose infusion before delivery.

An ex post facto study was designed to determine the occurrence of neonatal hypoglycemia in correlation to maternal glucose infusions. The sample consisted of 62 normal mother-infant pairs. Forty-three percent of term normal newborns studied had Dextrostix values less than 40 mg%. Data revealed that duration of maternal glucose infusion was statistically the most significant parameter in correlation with lowered newborn serum blood glucose. Also, multiple linear regression revealed that all three parameters of maternal intravenous glucose therapy duration, total amount of glucose received, and rate of glucose per hour significantly correlated with lowered newborn Dextrostix.