Skip to content

Top Navigation

Parents Parents
  • GETTING PREGNANT
  • PREGNANCY
  • BABY NAMES
  • BABY
  • TODDLER
  • BIG KID
  • FUN
  • HEALTH
  • PARENTING
  • FOOD
  • HOLIDAY
  • News
  • THE STAY AT HOME GUIDE
  • SHOP
  • OUR MAGAZINES
  • MORE

Profile Menu

Your Account

Account

  • Join Now
  • Your Profile
  • Your Profile
  • Newsletters
  • Manage Your Subscription this link opens in a new tab
  • Give a Gift Subscription this link opens in a new tab
  • Cozi Family Organizer this link opens in a new tab
  • Help
  • Logout
Login
Subscribe
Pin FB

Explore Parents

Parents Parents
  • Explore

    Explore

    • 22 Chore Ideas for Every Type of Kid

      Find a chore your kid loves to do, and start a habit of wanting to help out that'll last a lifetime. Read More Next
    • Top 5 Mom Friend Problems—And How to Fix Them

      Parenting is so much easier with good pals. Learn to overcome friendship hurdles and bond with women who get you. Read More Next
    • How to Sleep Train Toddlers and Big Kids

      I’m a pediatric sleep specialist who has seen it all, and I’m here to tell you that it’s not too late to get your child to (happily) stay in his own bed all night long. Read More Next
  • GETTING PREGNANT

    GETTING PREGNANT

    See All GETTING PREGNANT

    Your Chances of Getting Pregnant Every Day of the Month

    When sex coincides withĀ your most fertile ovulation days, you'llĀ increase the chances of conceiving.Ā Get to know each phase of your cycle to get pregnant faster.
    • Ovulation
    • Reproductive Age
    • Maximizing Your Fertility
    • Pre-Pregnancy Health
    • Trying to Conceive
    • Dealing With Infertility
    • Genetics
  • PREGNANCY

    PREGNANCY

    See All PREGNANCY

    Signs of Approaching Labor: How to Tell Your Baby is Coming Soon

    Anxiously awaiting your baby’s arrival? Learn to recognize the first signs of labor approaching, which signal that your little one might make an appearance soon.
    • Signs of Pregnancy
    • Pregnancy Week-by-Week
    • Giving Birth
    • Labor & Delivery
    • Pregnancy Symptoms
    • Due Date Calculator
    • Pregnancy Complications
    • Fetal Development
    • Gender Prediction
    • Baby Showers
  • BABY NAMES

    BABY NAMES

    See All BABY NAMES

    These Are the Most Popular Baby Names of 2020

    Curious which baby names stole the show this year? From new classics like Noah to tried-and-true faves like Ava, here are the top boy and girl names of the year so far, plus more naming trends to consider.
    • Baby Girl Names
    • Most Popular Names
    • Names by Origin
    • Twin Names
    • Baby Boy Names
    • Names by Religion
    • Celebrity Baby Names
    • Baby Name Quizzes
  • BABY

    BABY

    See All BABY

    How to Decode Your Baby's Cough

    Caring for a baby with a wet or dry cough? Listen for wheezing, hacking, or barking first, then read on to find out what's normal and when it's time to worry.
    • Newborn Care
    • Crying Baby
    • Health
    • Baby Development
    • Safety
    • Gear
    • Breastfeeding
    • Diapers
    • Sleep Issues
    • Feeding
    • Nursery
  • TODDLER

    TODDLER

    See All TODDLER
    • Preschool Activities
    • Behavior & Discipline
    • Toddler Development
    • Milestones
    • Potty Training
    • Starting School
    • Health
    • Safety
    • Childcare
  • BIG KID

    BIG KID

    See All BIG KID

    How to Deal With Bullies: A Guide for Parents

    Mean kids aren't just a middle-school problem. The trouble has trickled to the youngest grades. Learn how to spot it—and how to protect children of all ages from bullies at school.
    • Education
    • Health
    • Food & Nutrition
    • Bullying & School Problems
    • Child Development
    • Safety
    • Manners & Responsibility
  • FUN

    FUN

    See All FUN

    17 Budget-Friendly Kids’ Birthday Party Ideas

    A fun celebration doesn’t need to cost a pretty penny. Throw a memorable bash with these clever cost-cutting kids’ birthday party ideas.
    • Birthdays
    • Indoor Activities
    • Outdoor Activities
    • Arts & Crafts
    • Printable Coloring Pages
    • Kids' Entertainment
    • Best Toys
    • Holidays
    • Family Vacation Ideas
  • HEALTH

    HEALTH

    See All HEALTH

    All About Coronavirus COVID-19: A Concerned Parent's Guide

    Here’s everything you need to know about the disease that originated in Wuhan, China.
    • ADD & ADHD
    • Allergies
    • Autism
    • Cold & Flu
    • Coronavirus and COVID-19
    • Cough
    • Down Syndrome
    • Emergency Aid
    • Fever
    • Medication & Vitamins
    • Obesity
    • Rashes
    • Stomach Aches
    • Vaccines
  • PARENTING

    PARENTING

    See All PARENTING

    The Stay at Home Guide for Parents

    Everything you need to thrive at home as a family.
    • Positive Parenting
    • Parenting Style
    • Celebrity Parents
    • Family Dynamics
    • Divorce
    • Home
    • Adoption
    • Just for Mom
    • Money
    • Toy Recalls
    • Stroller Recalls
  • FOOD

    FOOD

    See All FOOD
    • Family Recipes
    • Baby Food
    • Toddler Finger Food Recipes
    • Hints & Tips
    • Healthy Eating
    • Birthdays
    • Holiday Recipes
    • Quick & Easy Meals
    • Food For Pregnant Women
  • HOLIDAY

    HOLIDAY

    See All HOLIDAY

    44 Fun Valentine's Day Crafts for Kids

    Spend an afternoon making these Valentine's Day cards, decorations, and edible projects for kids. Bonus: These craft ideas are perfect for preschoolers and the ideal homemade gift for a few special someones!
    • Christmas
    • New Year's
    • Valentine's Day
    • Easter
    • Mother's Day
    • Memorial Day
    • Father's Day
    • 4th of July
    • Halloween
    • Thanksgiving
    • Hanukkah
  • News
  • THE STAY AT HOME GUIDE
  • SHOP
  • OUR MAGAZINES

    OUR MAGAZINES

    See All OUR MAGAZINES
    • Parents
    • Parents Latina
    • Ser Padres
  • MORE

    MORE

    • Newsletters
    • Contests
    • ParentsIRL
    • Adulting
    • First Year Playbook
    • Celebrate Your Way

Profile Menu

Subscribe this link opens in a new tab
Your Account

Account

  • Join Now
  • Your Profile
  • Your Profile
  • Newsletters
  • Manage Your Subscription this link opens in a new tab
  • Give a Gift Subscription this link opens in a new tab
  • Cozi Family Organizer this link opens in a new tab
  • Help
  • Logout
Login
Sweepstakes

Follow Us

  1. Home
  2. Babies
  3. Newborn Care
  4. Pediatricians and Medicine
  5. Baby Testing: 6 Essential Health Screenings for Your Newborn

Baby Testing: 6 Essential Health Screenings for Your Newborn

By Jeanne Faulkner, R.N.
January 24, 2011
Skip gallery slides
Save Pin
Everything you need to know about the essential health screenings your infant needs during the first few days of life.
Start Slideshow

1 of 8

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Credit: rSnapshotPhotos/shutterstock.com

Although your obstetrician tracks your fetus throughout pregnancy via ultrasound, blood tests, and amniocentesis, some things can't be assessed until after your baby is delivered. So only seconds after your newborn enters the world and takes his first gulp of air, he'll start on a round of tests and procedures that protect his health. Here's a cheat sheet on what to expect for infant health screening.

  • RELATED: Birth Day: Your Baby's First 24 Hours of Life

1 of 8

Advertisement
Advertisement

2 of 8

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Apgar Scores

Credit: Shutterstock

How they're done: A doctor or nurse will check your baby's appearance, pulse, grimace, activity, and respirations (the first letters spell Apgar), each of which is scored from 0 to 2. A score of 10 is perfect, but most healthy babies score in the 8 to 9 range.

Why your baby needs them: The scores evaluate your baby's heart and lungs, and they assess how well he's making the adjustment from life inside your womb to life in the outside world. A baby who gets a score of 3 or less needs immediate medical attention.

When they're done: One minute after birth and then again five minutes later.

Side effects: None.

  • RELATED: Apgar Score: How It's Done and What's Normal

2 of 8

3 of 8

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Hearing Screening

Credit: DonyaHHI/Shutterstock

How it's done: Doctors will insert a probe into your baby's ear or put earphones on him. They'll then put monitoring devices on his head to record his brain waves as he responds to sounds sent through the probe or the earphones.

Why your baby needs it: Because hearing loss is hard to detect in a baby in the first few months of life, many states require this test. It can pick up any congenital hearing loss.

When it's done: Usually in the first 48 hours of life.

Side effects: None.

3 of 8

Advertisement

4 of 8

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Metabolic-Disorders Screening

Credit: Shutterstock

How it's done: A few drops of blood from your baby's heel are sent to a lab for analysis. Doctors can perform multiple tests on that tiny sample.

Why your baby needs it: Although relatively rare, metabolic disorders can cause mental retardation, stunted growth, and even death. But if caught early, potential health problems can be prevented and even reversed. Your baby will be screened for anywhere from three to 50 different disorders, depending on which state he's born in. At the very least, he'll be screened for phenylketonuria (a condition that makes it impossible for the body to break down certain food substances), galactosemia (an inherited, genetic condition in which the body lacks the enzyme that breaks down a certain sugar), and congenital hypothyroidism (a disease caused by an underactive thyroid gland). But the Department of Health and Human Services is considering a requirement that at least 30 tests be done by all states.

When it's done: In the first 24 to 48 hours of life.

Side effects: Usually none. Your baby may feel a slight pinch in her heel. The puncture is covered with a bandage.

4 of 8

5 of 8

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Newborn Shots: Hepatitis B Vaccine

Credit: In The Light Photography/Shutterstock

How it's done: The vaccine is injected into the thigh.

Why your baby needs it: In the U.S., there are 1 million carriers of hepatitis B, a disease that can cause chronic liver problems. It's spread through having contact with the blood, semen, vaginal fluids, and other body fluids of someone who already has a hepatitis B infection. Because of the mix of maternal and fetal blood during delivery, mothers with hepatitis B are likely to pass the illness along to their babies during birth. A series of three vaccinations prevents people from getting the disease.

When it's done: Babies born to hepatitis B-positive mothers receive the vaccine and antiserum – which contains infection-fighting antibodies – within the first 12 hours of life. Those whose mothers tested negative may receive the vaccine before being discharged from the hospital or within the first few weeks of life.

Side effects: Possible redness or swelling at the injection site.

  • RELATED: The Hepatitis B Vaccine: Health 101

5 of 8

6 of 8

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Newborn Shots: Vitamin K

Credit: Tatiana Katsai/Shutterstock

How it's done: A vitamin K injection in the thigh is given to all newborns to prevent bleeding disorders.

Why your baby needs it: Although it's rare, 0.25% to 1.7% of infants are born with a vitamin K deficiency. That can prevent blood from properly clotting, putting these babies at risk for excessive bleeding. Rather than performing tests and waiting for results, doctors err on the side of caution and give all newborns an injection of vitamin K. This reduces chances of VKDB significantly.

When it's done: Most states mandate that all babies receive vitamin K as soon as possible (usually within the first hour) after birth.

Side effects: Generally none. As with all injections, though, there is a slight risk of infection. Some parents who object to the shot are less concerned about the needle than they are about old reports there may be a connection between vitamin K and childhood leukemia. The American Academy of Pediatrics issued a statement saying research conducted by a task force found no association between vitamin K injections and leukemia.

6 of 8

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

7 of 8

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Newborn Eye Ointment

Credit: Shutterstock

How it’s done: Hospitals put an antibiotic ointment (usually erythromycin) in Baby’s eyes.

Why your baby needs it: Eye ointment for newborns is given in case the mother has Chlamydia or gonorrhea. While the eye ointment kills other germs as well, it’s mandatory is to prevent blindness caused by these two STDs.

When it’s done: Within 24 hours of birth.

Side effects: None. Newborns don't seem to notice the ointment, though it probably makes their vision a little blurrier than it already is at birth.

  • RELATED: Understanding Your Baby's Developing Vision

7 of 8

8 of 8

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Watching for Jaundice

Credit: Shutterstock

In addition to the many tests your baby will get, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends screening all newborns for jaundice – a common but serious condition in newborns that causes the skin and the whites of the eyes to turn a yellowish color. About 50 to 60 percent of newborns have jaundice, which occurs when bilirubin, a natural blood-breakdown product, builds up in your baby's bloodstream. Bilirubin is normally eliminated by the liver, so once your baby's liver is working efficiently, her yellow tint should disappear. But don't take any chances. Because high levels of bilirubin can cause deafness, cerebral palsy, or brain damage, the AAP recommends you schedule a follow-up visit with your doctor when your baby is between 3 and 5 days old. That’s when bilirubin levels reach their peak.

8 of 8

Replay gallery

Share the Gallery

Pinterest Facebook

Up Next

Share the Gallery

Pinterest Facebook
Trending Videos
Advertisement
Skip slide summaries

Everything in This Slideshow

Advertisement

View All

1 of 8
2 of 8 Apgar Scores
3 of 8 Hearing Screening
4 of 8 Metabolic-Disorders Screening
5 of 8 Newborn Shots: Hepatitis B Vaccine
6 of 8 Newborn Shots: Vitamin K
7 of 8 Newborn Eye Ointment
8 of 8 Watching for Jaundice

Share options

Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Login

Parents

Magazines & More

Learn More

  • About Us
  • Subscribe this link opens in a new tab
  • Customer Service this link opens in a new tab
  • Cozi Family Organizer this link opens in a new tab
  • Advertise this link opens in a new tab
  • Content Licensing this link opens in a new tab
  • From Our Sponsors this link opens in a new tab
  • Affiliate Program this link opens in a new tab
  • Sitemap

Connect

Follow Us
Subscribe to Our Newsletter
Other Meredith Sites

Other Meredith Sites

  • 4 Your Health this link opens in a new tab
  • Allrecipes this link opens in a new tab
  • All People Quilt this link opens in a new tab
  • Better Homes & Gardens this link opens in a new tab
  • Bizrate Insights this link opens in a new tab
  • Bizrate Surveys this link opens in a new tab
  • Cooking Light this link opens in a new tab
  • Daily Paws this link opens in a new tab
  • EatingWell this link opens in a new tab
  • Eat This, Not That this link opens in a new tab
  • Entertainment Weekly this link opens in a new tab
  • Food & Wine this link opens in a new tab
  • Health this link opens in a new tab
  • Hello Giggles this link opens in a new tab
  • Instyle this link opens in a new tab
  • Martha Stewart this link opens in a new tab
  • Midwest Living this link opens in a new tab
  • More this link opens in a new tab
  • MyRecipes this link opens in a new tab
  • MyWedding this link opens in a new tab
  • My Food and Family this link opens in a new tab
  • MyLife this link opens in a new tab
  • Parenting this link opens in a new tab
  • People this link opens in a new tab
  • People en EspaƱol this link opens in a new tab
  • Rachael Ray Magazine this link opens in a new tab
  • Real Simple this link opens in a new tab
  • Ser Padres this link opens in a new tab
  • Shape this link opens in a new tab
  • Siempre Mujer this link opens in a new tab
  • Southern Living this link opens in a new tab
  • SwearBy this link opens in a new tab
  • Travel & Leisure this link opens in a new tab
Parents.com is part of the Parents Network. © Copyright 2021 Meredith Corporation. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policythis link opens in a new tab Terms of Servicethis link opens in a new tab Ad Choicesthis link opens in a new tab California Do Not Sellthis link opens a modal window Web Accessibilitythis link opens in a new tab
© Copyright . All rights reserved. Printed from https://www.parents.com

View image

Baby Testing: 6 Essential Health Screenings for Your Newborn
this link is to an external site that may or may not meet accessibility guidelines.