National Newborn Screening Month

One of the many important things that happens in the first few days after you give birth is newborn screening. This screening usually happens before you leave the hospital, when your baby is just a day or two old.

Every September is Newborn Screening Awareness Month. This observance is a way of showing how newborn screening helps make sure babies get the help they need to grow and thrive.

A newborn screening test is fairly simple. It includes three parts:

• A small blood sample from your baby's heel to test for certain genetic, hormonal, and metabolic disorders
• A hearing test
• A test for certain heart defects called critical congenital heart defects, or CCHDs

The screening doesn't take long, but it tells doctors a lot. Doctors screen for conditions that cause problems if they aren't detected early. Learn more at Florida’s newborn screening site.

Most parents go ahead with the screening because it can identify conditions could affect their baby's long-term health or survival. Early detection is an important way for your child get the help he or she needs.