Hypoglycemia in the neonate delivered by elective cesarean section compared to normal vaginal delivery

The purpose of the research was to correlate specific antepartal and intrapartal stimuli, and birth factors to the incidence of hypoglycemia in the neonate born by elective cesarean section (n = 30) and the neonate born by normal vaginal delivery (n = 30). A cord blood glucose and a blood glucose within 2 hours of age were measured.;The following conclusions were drawn from this study: (a) hypoglycemia may occur at a higher incidence than previous research suggests, (b) there is no difference between the incidence of hypoglycemia in the neonates born by elective cesarean section and normal vaginal delivery, (c) there is no significant difference between the cord glucose or 2-hour glucose of neonates born by elective cesarean section and neonates born by vaginal delivery, and (d) there is a greater decrease in glucose values in the first 2 hours of life for neonates born by elective cesarean section compared to neonates born by normal vaginal delivery.;Implications include increased assessment by nurses for the development of hypoglycemia and increased knowledge in the risk factors and assessment of hypoglycemia by nurses. Further research should examine factors associated with hypoglycemia. A comparison study to examine epidural anesthesia with other types of anesthesia; the timing and anesthetic agents used with epidural; and validation of blood glucose values by heel sticks, venous samples, and the difference in glucose meters with laboratory values should be conducted. Another study should be conducted to compare and examine the risk factors of fetal distress, SGA, and LGA neonates to normal neonates.;Analysis of the data included descriptive statistics, chi-square, and t-tests. The results of the study revealed there is no significant difference in cord glucose, 2-hour glucose, or the incidence of hypoglycemia in the neonates born by cesarean section and by vaginal delivery. The difference in the decline of the two glucose values was significant (p =.024). There was no significant difference in the type and amounts of intravenous fluids given to the mothers 6 hours prior to delivery and the incidence of hypoglycemia. The incidence of hypoglycemia, although not significantly different, was higher than reported in previous literature. The incidence of hypoglycemia in neonates born by cesarean section was 43.3%, while the incidence in the neonates born by vaginal delivery was 36.7%, with a mean incidence of 40% for both groups.