A newborn screening takes place in the hospital immediately after the baby’s birth. Discover what doctors and nurses address during the screening here.
Giving birth is an exciting and challenging time, to say the least, as you hope everything goes smoothly and the baby is born healthy. Sometimes health issues arise even after doing everything right during the pregnancy. That’s why the team of doctors and nurses quickly whisk away your infant shortly after they are born. Your doctor is looking for certain things during the newborn screening to ensure everything is normal, and there are no serious issues to address. Read on to learn more about the types of tests they administer and what they are looking for.
Blood Tests
Blood tests during the newborn screening reveal problems that may be difficult to see by just looking at the infant. It’s a simple test done by pricking the baby’s foot to get a few drops of blood. Your doctor looks for the following conditions using a blood test:
- PKU (phenylketonuria): leads to the body not metabolizing phenylalanine, a protein. PKU can cause disabilities.
- Sickle Cell Disease: a severe form of anemia that can cause blood clots, stroke, and infections.
- Hypothyroidism: the baby’s body isn’t producing enough thyroid hormone, causing problems like skin, digestion, circulation, and growth issues.
Heart Tests
Heart tests are critical because they catch issues that may have nothing to do with the heart yet could eventually damage it if not caught. A pulse oximetry calculates the infant’s oxygen levels in the blood. The team can move on to other steps to see what is wrong if the baby’s oxygen levels are low. The following is a list of conditions that they may check next if the heart test doesn’t come back satisfactory.
Meconium Aspiration Syndrome
Meconium Aspiration Syndrome (MAS) happens when an infant eliminates its first stool, called meconium, too early while still in the womb or during delivery, causing the baby to inhale it into the lungs. One of the warning signs of MAS is labored breathing, which doctors quickly detect during the newborn heart test.
Congenital Heart Defects
Congenital heart defects, also called CHDs or CCHDs (critical congenital heart defects), cause issues with the way the heart develops, leading to many health problems. Thankfully, the team of doctors can immediately start planning a course of action when they catch these defects early.
Hearing Tests
The nurses place tiny earphones on your new baby, which they connect to a computer to help read the condition of the newborn’s hearing. This screening is helpful to see if the baby is having trouble hearing. The doctor can order more tests if there is an issue.
Understanding the things your doctor looks for during a newborn screening will put you at ease when they take your baby for a short while to make sure all is well.