What Tests Are Done On Your Baby After Birth?

Most people know that when their baby is born, tests are done, by a health professional to ensure the infant is healthy and ready to go home.

So, just what are these tests and what are they looking for?

In most cases, newborn babies will undergo three kinds of testing in the days, weeks and months following their arrival on earth. These include newborn screening, DDH tests, and a hearing screen. Let’s look at each of these in turn.

Newborn Screening

Every newborn baby in Australia is given the chance to have newborn screening to identify whether they’re at risk of rare, but very serious, medical conditions. This test is done through a heel prick test when your child is just 48-72 hours old. Tests for these conditions are done very early in a child’s life because early treatment will be able to reduce the effects of the conditions.

Conditions that are screened for in the newborn tests include:

• Phenylketonuria,
• Primary congenital hypothyroidism,
• Cystic fibrosis,
• Amino acid disorders,
• Organic acid disorders, and
• Fatty acid metabolism disorders.

In addition to these are some even rarer conditions that are only tested at some hospitals, generally when there is an incidence of the condition in the community. If you’re curious, you’re absolutely able to ask your nurse or midwife what exactly your child’s being tested for. You should always let your doctor or nurse know if you have a family history of any conditions or disorders, so these can also be screened for.

Parents must give consent for your child to undergo newborn screening. In some states this will simply be asking for your permission, in others you will need to sign a consent form.

As so many babies are screened during these tests, parents are only usually told the results of the test if they are abnormal or indicate a problem. If this occurs, follow-up testing will be done, but only a small number of babies require more tests. In most cases, additional tests are run due to an unclear result, as opposed to an abnormal one.

Now, although it is certainly not recommended, you can decline newborn screening for your child, but you will be required to sign a statement indicating you understand the risks involved. The conditions that are screened for in the tests might be rare, but they could lead to disability or death. Along with this they do not show symptoms at birth, and are rarely related to family history. If you decline newborn screening and your child does end up having one of the conditions, they could already be impaired by the time symptoms show up and they are diagnosed.

Developmental Dysplasia Of The Hip (DDH) Tests

Developmental dysplasia of the hip is a condition that affects the hip joint and has no single cause. Essentially it means that parts of the leg supporting the hip are lose, or that the socket of the hip is shallow. This can result in the hip being unstable, or it coming out of joint (i.e. dislocating). DDH is more common in babies born breach, and those with a family history of the condition. It’s also more likely to be seen in girls, and in first-born children.

Babies are generally checked for DDH which used to be called congenital dislocation of the hip (CDH) straight after birth or within a few days of being born. They are then tested again at six weeks.

The test is done by a, experienced doctor, midwife or nurse and involves putting your baby on their back and moving their legs while listening and feeling each hip in turn for signs of possible dislocation. This is usually a clunk or click sound. In some cases, an x-ray or ultrasound might be used.

Hearing Screening

There is a universal newborn hearing screening program in all the states and territories of Australia that works to make sure all Australian newborns are given a hearing test by the time they’re one month old. It’s very important to do these hearing test because although some children do have risk factors for hearing loss, around half of kids with hearing loss don’t have any risk factors prior to diagnosis.

As with the heel prick test, early screening to pick up hearing problems makes for early intervention for those who do have hearing loss. The test is very simple and non-invasive. Babies who are considered to have potential hearing issues are then sent on to an audiologist as a part of the same universal program by the time they’re three months old, with the aim of early intervention where hearing problems exist by six months of age.

Did your bub also undergo these tests after being born?