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Abstract

Background and Objective: Newborns from diabetic mothers, including diabetes type 1 & 2 and gestational diabetes, represent the group with the highest risk of developing symptomatic hypoglycemia in the immediate hours after birth. Neonatal hypoglycemia is a common metabolic abnormality in newborns due to inability to maintain glucose homeostasis. This study was designed to determine the glycemic levels in infants born to diabetic mothers at 2 hours of life before first feeding. Methods: A total of 203 cases meeting inclusion criteria were recruitedfrom Nursery department of a local hospital of Lahore. After obtaining prior informed consent from parents or attendants, birth history like gestational age and their birth weight were noted from birth records of the baby. Blood sugar random (BSR) was measured in all neonates as per recommended criteria. All data was entered and analyzed using SPSS version 20. Results: The mean age of neonates at the time of blood sugar monitoring was 68.86 ± 34.39 minutes, the mean gestational age was 38.25 ± 2.901 weeks and the mean birth weight was 2844.3 ± 605.0677 gm. According to operational definition, a total of 30 (14.8%) cases had hypoglycemia and 173 (85.2%) cases had normal BSR. Conclusion: Hypoglycemia in neonates of diabetic mothers is a common complication which may be corrected by early breast-feeding or formula feeding.