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There are three parts to newborn screening: the blood test or heel stick ; the hearing screen; and pulse oximetry. First, a physician , nurse, midwife , or other trained member of the hospital staff will fill out a newborn screening card. Parents are welcome to be a part of this process by holding their baby while the heel stick is performed.

Studies show that when mothers or health professionals comfort babies during this process, the babies are less likely to cry. Families can make requests for additional screening , also known as supplemental screening. This is sometimes done if there is family history of certain conditions or other health concerns.

While each state screens for many conditions, there are more conditions that can be detected at birth. We recommend discussing additional screening and any concerns you might have with a health care professional.

Make sure to ask what conditions are covered in your state and what information additional screening could provide. It is also important to contact your insurance company to determine their policy regarding additional screening coverage, since state programs do not pay for additional screening or the follow-up treatment. For more information about additional screening, click here. Two different tests can be used to screen for hearing loss in babies.

Both tests are quick minutes , safe and comfortable with no activity required from your child. In fact, these tests are often performed while a baby is asleep. One or both tests may be used. Pulse oximetry, or pulse ox, is a non-invasive test that measures how much oxygen is in the blood. Infants with heart problems may have low blood oxygen levels, and therefore, the pulse ox test can help identify babies that may have Critical Congenital Heart Disease CCHD.

The pulse ox test only takes a couple of minutes and is performed after the baby is 24 hours old and before he or she leaves the newborn nursery. Most babies are born healthy. However, some infants have a serious medical condition even though they look and act like all newborns. These babies generally come from families with no previous history of a condition.

Using their bodies Infants in the first eight weeks have no control over their movements and all their physical activity is involuntary or reflex. Developmental characteristics include: Sucking, grasping, startling and pulling to stand are all reflexes. They start to work out how to lift their heads when lying on their tummy, and kick their legs by about eight weeks.

In their third month, they begin to watch their hands and feet wave in the air, and also begin to wave that fist towards your face or some other desired object.

Speech and language For the newborn, crying is their only means of communication. Characteristics of speech include: By seven or eight weeks, they begin to discover their voice and make cooing noises and vowel sounds. Even by about eight weeks, they will listen to what you say, then make noises back as they 'talk' to you. Suggested activities Suggestions on encouraging and supporting your baby's development include: Make a mobile and hang it, facing them, above their cot Stroke different parts of their body to see how they like to be touched Speak to them gently and use their name Play them music Sing to them Hold them a lot Let them look at your face as you talk to them Copy their little gestures Rock them.

Signs that suggest a developmental problem All children are different and develop at different rates, so if your baby doesn't do all the things listed in this article, it may be because they are working on some different area of learning and development.

Signs that could suggest a developmental problem include: Unusually floppy or stiff body Arm or leg on one side is obviously different in muscle tone or power to the other Fingers are always held in a tight fist Not watching faces by two to three months Not startling to noise Difficulties with feeding beyond 'normal' range Long periods of crying and persistent difficulties with settling The child is exceptionally quiet and placid. A newborn doesn't realise they are a separate person.

Greenspan, S, , Psychopathology and adaption in infancy and early childhood, International Universities Press. Give feedback about this page. Was this page helpful? Yes No. View all babies and toddlers Related information. Talk to your doctor about newborn screening if your baby was not born in a hospital. The blood sample should be taken after the first 24 hours of life. Some babies are tested within the first 24 hours, though, because sometimes moms and newborns are discharged within 1 day.

If this happens, experts recommend taking a repeat sample no more than 1 to 2 weeks later. Some states routinely do two tests on all infants. Results of newborn screening for hearing loss and heart disease are available as soon as the test is done. Blood test results usually are ready by the time a baby is 5—7 days old.

Often, parents won't hear about results if screening tests were normal. They are contacted if a test was positive for a condition. A positive newborn screening test does not mean a child definitely has the medical condition. Doctors order more tests to confirm or rule out the diagnosis. If a diagnosis is confirmed, doctors might refer the child to a specialist for more testing and treatment.

They'll also ask you questions about how your baby is feeding, how alert they are, and about their general wellbeing. The examination includes an overall physical check, plus 4 different screening tests. The health professional will check the appearance and movement of your baby's eyes.

They're looking for cataracts, which is a clouding of the transparent lens inside the eye, and other conditions. About 2 or 3 in 10, babies are born with cataracts in one or both eyes that need treatment. Find out more about childhood cataracts. The healthcare professional will check your baby's heart. This is done by observing your baby, feeling your baby's pulses, and listening to their heart with a stethoscope. Sometimes heart murmurs are picked up. A heart murmur is where the heartbeat has an extra or unusual sound caused by a disturbed blood flow through the heart.

Heart murmurs are common in babies. The heart is normal in almost all cases where a murmur is heard.