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Newborn Screening Tests
After your baby is born there are a number of routine checks that will be done to make sure that your baby is healthy. These include:
Newborn infant physical examination
Newborn hearing test
Newborn blood spot test
Extra tests may be carried out if any problems are identified during these checks.
Newborn infant physical examination
In the first 72 hours of life, your baby will have a newborn physical examination. This is a head to toe examination of baby that checks for any health problems they might be born with, so they can get help as early as possible. If they find something unusual, they may suggest more tests or treatments to keep the baby healthy.
This examination is repeated when the baby is 6-8 weeks old in the community, usually by the GP, to make sure nothing has been missed and because some problems may show up later.
Newborn hearing screening
The newborn hearing test is done soon after your baby is born.
This helps identify babies who have permanent hearing loss as early as possible. Finding out about a hearing problem early gives babies a better chance of developing language, speech and communication skills and means parents can get the support and advice they need right from the start.
If you give birth in hospital, the test may be offered before you and your baby are discharged. Otherwise, it will be done by your health visitor or another healthcare professional within the first few weeks.
If you're not offered a screening test, ask your health visitor or GP.
Newborn blood spot test
The newborn blood spot test checks for rare but very serious genetic conditions that can affect your babies health.
The test is usually done on Day 5 of life when your midwife comes to visit and involves taking a small drop of blood from your baby's foot which is then sent to a lab for testing.
Finding out early if a baby has one of these conditions means that monitoring and treatment can begin sooner. This early care can help improve the health of your baby and may prevent serious health problems and disability later on.
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