Common Screening Tests for Infants

You want your baby to be healthy and in good health. Doctors check on this by running some screening tests. The infant screening tests aim at ensuring that your little one is generally developing normally and you find some underlying issues early. While all this might sound very intimidating to hear about all these tests, they are, in reality, very simple, very speedy, and of vital importance in giving your baby the best possible life.

The purpose of this paper is to discuss a few of the most common screening tests available for infants, what they entail, and why they are so important.

Newborn Hearing Screening

One of the first checks your baby will undergo a few days after birth is called a hearing screening. This test identifies if your baby has proper hearing so she/he may develop speech and language abilities. The earlier that hearing loss is detected can make all the difference in when treatment or support can begin.

• What does it entail? It’s a pain-free test and is conducted usually a few days after the baby’s birth. There are two-most common of them are Otoacoustic Emissions (OAE) test, and the Auditory Brainstem Response (ABR) test. The tests are quick and non-invasive. They cause no pain or discomfort to your baby.

• Importance of this check: This hearing test is essential in early detection because it will afford early intervention hence not allowing speech and language delays. Although most children pass, if yours does not then one can proceed with other tests to determine what to do.

Newborn Blood Screening (Heel Stick Test)

This is one of the most common screening tests conducted on an infant. It checks for a number of serious but rare conditions that will not apparently look the way they are. These are among metabolic, genetic and endocrine disorders, such as PKU and hypothyroidism.

• What is it? This is a heel prick procedure of your infant to allow you to have your baby’s blood drawn and forward for analysis in the laboratory. It is usually performed within 24-48 hours after delivery.

• Why it’s important: Most of the conditions screened for, like PKU, will cause severe complications in health if not diagnosed early and treated. Only early treatment can prevent delays in development and other health disorders.

Neonatal Screening for Jaundice

In medical terminology, it’s called jaundice, or the yellowing of one’s skin and eyes because of the gathered color from bilirubin, a result of the breakdown of red blood cells. Typically, the condition comes up after several days of birth and is most common in premature babies.

• What the test entails: The pediatrician is expected to examine the baby’s skin and the white of their eyes for jaundice. The doctor is likely to obtain some blood should findings be positive for jaundice.

• Importance: If left untreated jaundice may lead to some complications such as, causing such severe damage that a baby’s brain can be damaged. But normally it doesn’t have much of a problem to treat and at times is easy by splitting the bilirubin in the body of the infant with light therapy.

Vision Screening

Although problems with the vision are low at birth, it is much of a higher risk to be spotted early so such problems are already handled a little earlier. Screening for the vision is usually conducted soon after birth; however, other times it may also be conducted during any of the subsequent visits to the pediatrician.

What does it do? In a general review, the physician should examine for all these signs of normal vision, including eyes misplaced or crossed. Some of the equipment are checking the infant’s vision in this test.

Why is it useful? Earlier diagnoses of some causes of vision disorders, such as crossed eyes or other eye disorders, lead to much earlier treatment and avoid many of their awful consequences.

Heart Screening (Pulse Oximetry)

Heart screening test is generally known as pulse oximetry, confirming your baby’s oxygen levels and checking in addition for critical congenital heart defects in him. Critical congenital heart defects are referred to birth conditions that include possible defects regarding the circulation of adequate amounts of oxygen through the heart.

• What it does: It requires positioning small, thin sensor over newborn hand or foot for pickup of oxygen levels within the blood. It is painless and consumes only a few minutes.

• Why it’s important: Some congenital conditions congenital cardiac conditions are undiagnosed at birth. Detection at an early time prevents any severe complication. If suspected, it may help doctors make early treatment decisions.

Developmental Screening

Even though the screening is normally done a few months after birth, some pediatricians will carry out early screenings so that they can know whether there are a few developmental delays. The test may be very useful in tracking if your baby will be able to attain milestones such as lifting his or her head and smiling during interactions with other people.

• What does it involve: The pediatrician may interview you on the development of your baby, may examine the movements of your baby, or may use questionnaires.

• Why is it needed? Services related to either physical therapy or speech therapy may be possible in timely ways if developmental delays are identified early on, which will help improve and grow your child significantly.

Cystic Fibrosis Screening

Cystic fibrosis is a birth defect that is an immune, digestive, and pulmonary disorder. In fact, new-born screening for cystic fibrosis has become the practice in many countries.

• What it is: Blood is drawn, which later will be subjected to a test for excess levels of a certain enzyme, assumed to be indicative of cystic fibrosis.

• Why it matters: Early diagnosis of cystic fibrosis supports an early initiation of interventions that can be helpful in managing symptoms to improve the quality of life. For early treatment, serious lung damage and other complications are prevented.

Conclusion

It may appear that a number of tests have been conducted on your newborn, but they actually play a significant role because they make sure you leave the hospital with a healthy baby who will also develop well. Most of them are fast, harmless, and easy to perform, which may assist the doctor in recognizing any early potential issues. Therefore, if you ever feel you have questions or concerns about your baby’s screenings, never hesitate to ask your pediatrician, for they exist to support you and give your baby the best possible start in life.

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