Newborn Screening Tests You Can Expect After Birth

Most Mum’s are So Excited About Meeting their New Baby, They Don’t Think About the Tests Bubs will Have Right After….

Screening tests and your newborn are no cause for alarm. Basically, they are only done as a precautionary method to identify any problems. If there is a problem it is best to treat it now rather than wait until it develops into permanent damage. Screening tests can check for congenital disorders, metabolic conditions and rare disorders.

When you are in hospital after the birth of your new baby you can expect to be monitored. Nurses and doctors will continue to come to your aid, offering you pain relief, food, help with feeding and caring for your baby and so forth. You can also expect a paediatrician or midwife to perform various screening tests on your baby to ensure that everything is well. So what screening tests can you expect and what do they mean?

Baby’s Very First Test: The Apgar Test

As soon as your baby enters the world they will be tested. This is known as the APGAR test and looks at the physical appearance of your newborn. The test is done right away and then again about five minutes later. The test is marked out of ten and includes five criteria (each with a score of 0-2) which include skin colour, reflex, muscle tone, breathing and heartbeat.

Essentially, a 2 means that the baby is testing in normal range (pinkish colour, active movements and heartbeat above 100bpm), resulting in a APGAR score of around 8-10 out of 10. Most babes will score just fine. However, babies that score between 0 and 3 out of 10 will need active resuscitation while babies that score under 7 will need to have the test repeated every five minutes for twenty minutes.

The Heel Prick Test

Another test that your baby will have done is the heel prick test or the Guthrie test. This occurs when your baby is between 48 and 72 hours old. Your baby’s heel will be pricked with a small needle and collected on a special paper to test their blood for abnormalities and rare genetic disorders such as cystic fibrosis, primary congenital hypothyroidism and phenylketonuria. Another test that may be conducted from the blood of the heel prick test is known as the Tandem Mass Spectrometry Test which can detect 30 extremely rare disorders.

The DHH Test

DHH is developmental dysplasia of the hip and this test is conducted immediately after birth or within the first 72 hours. Your doctor will put your baby on their back and move their hips back and forth listening for dislocation. This is usually done by a Paediatrician and you can sometimes be billed for this service.

The Hearing Test

Before you leave the hospital your baby will be offered a hearing test. Small sensor pads are placed onto the newborn’s head while he is quiet or asleep. The hearing test tests the reaction of your little one to the sounds in the devices.

A Few Things to Consider

First of all, not all of these tests are mandatory and you do have the right to refuse any test. Secondly, you won’t be notified of the results of these tests unless there is a problem. It will normally take two to 8 weeks for the test results to come up. No news is good news.

And, finally, if something does come back not quite right, then there is no need to panic. Usually, the reason is because the test did not give a clear result and further testing will be required.