The Importance of Newborn Screening

As a new parent, you can’t wait to take your newborn home from the hospital. But before you buckle your baby into the car seat for that happy trip home, it’s critical that your newborn be screened for potentially devastating diseases. There are a number of diseases that can be present in a newborn but hidden at the time of birth. Here is the list of disorders for which Texas currently screens.

The screening process is relatively simple. A healthcare worker simply draws a few drops of blood by pricking the infant’s heel, usually 24 to 48 hours of birth. That blood is then sent off to a certified newborn screening lab which analyzes it for a number of disorders including metabolic disorders, hormonal issues, blood disorders, and more.

Once the screening is completed, the results are sent to the child’s pediatrician and may also be sent to the local specialty care center. A “normal” result indicates that the infant is not likely to be affected by any of the rare diseases screened for by the lab. An “abnormal” result means that there’s an increased risk that the child might have one of the conditions for which they were screened. At that point, further testing is required to confirm whether or not there really is a disease present. If the confirmation tests are positive, follow-up and treatment will begin immediately.

If you’re a new parent, or have a baby on the way, and you have questions about newborn screening please contact The Birthing Center at GRMC at 830.401.7530.

Source: www.savebabies.org, www.babysfirsttest.org