Hypoglycemia is the medical term for "low blood sugar." It can happen when your baby is not eating enough carbohydrates (sugar and starches) from food or if their body is using up sugar too quickly. 

Going without sugar for too long can cause damage to the entire body, including the brain. Your baby has been treated in the hospital for hypoglycemia (hi-po-gly-SEE-me-uh). Their blood sugar is steady now and it's safe to care for your baby at home.

Be sure to feed your baby as your health care provider recommends. This will prevent their blood sugar from dropping again.

Follow your health care provider's advice about:

• what to feed your baby
• how often to feed your baby during the day (usually every 2–3 hours)
• how often you need to wake your baby at night to feed them

Your baby has:

• symptoms of low blood sugar such as tremors (shaking), fussiness, weak cry, poor feeding, trouble staying awake, or a limp body
• trouble eating on the schedule that your health care provider recommended

You know your baby best. Call your health care provider if you see any symptoms that worry you.

Your baby has:

• a seizure (jerking body movements)
• skin that looks blue or purple
• changes in their breathing or very fast breathing

How do newborns get hypoglycemia? In newborns, hypoglycemia can happen as their bodies get used to going from a constant source of sugar from mom's blood to a stop-and-start sugar supply from eating. Hypoglycemia can happen in any newborn but is more common in babies who were born early (premature) or to moms with diabetes, or who were small at birth.

Is "glucose" the same as sugar? Glucose is the name for the type of sugar in blood. When a health care provider says "low blood glucose," it's the same as saying "low blood sugar."