30 Aug Four Essential Health Screenings For Your Newborn
2 min. readHaving a newborn is one of the most beautiful and enjoyable times in a parent’s life. It is also a time where you need to take great care in making sure that the delicate little newborn is safe and healthy. It can be overwhelming for parents at first as they try to navigate these early days of their child’s life. During the first two days of your child’s life, in addition to making sure your baby is well-fed, there are several essential health screenings that can help make sure your baby is healthy and your doctor is aware of any health issues they may have.
APGAR Scores A doctor or nurse will check your baby’s Appearance, Pulse, Grimace, Activity, and Respirations (APGAR) and score them each between 0-2. Most healthy babies will be 8/9 out of 10. This is done a minute after birth and then five minutes later.
- Hearing Test
Doctors will typically check your baby’s hearing and sound waves through a probe or earphones. This is usually done in the first 48 hours of life, but your child may also need to follow up on hearing tests. This can pick up on any congenital hearing loss.
- Metabolic-Disorder Screening
This is done through a blood test and can screen your baby for anywhere from three to 50 different metabolic disorders. It is typically done between the first 24 and 48 hours of life.
- Watching for Jaundice
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends screening all newborns for jaundice. This is a common but serious condition that can impact newborns and causes the skin to yellow. Over 50% of newborns have jaundice but it typically disappears. You should schedule a follow-up with your doctor between 3-5 days for this screening.
At the time of birth, your doctor may also want to perform other screenings based on your baby’s condition, health, or family health history.
Many of these screenings will be performed right away at the hospital, and when you bring your baby into their first appointment with their pediatrician, your doctor will let you know if there are other tests that need to be performed.
If you have questions about these essential health screenings for your newborn, contact the experts here at Continuum Pediatrics. We are here to help answer your questions and to make sure that we do not answer questions about these newborn screenings but make sure that your child is continuing to get the quality health care that they need. If you have questions or would like to make an appointment with our team, call us directly at 817-617-8600 today.