All About Newborn Screening: Your Baby's First Test

Back in the old days, both parents and their babies were simply kept in the dark. Illnesses, allergies and conditions just revealed themselves in time and as the years went by, parents had to learn to adapt and take certain measures in order address these health issues. Thankfully, with the advancements in medical technology and research, the road to good health has become a little brighter.

Newborn screening is a simple procedure being offered in hospitals that allows parents to become aware of the condition of their newborn's health, particularly if he has disorders that may lead to mental retardation, through tests run on the blood sample of the newborn. Only good things are promised by newborn screening. The benefits are definitely more than enough to convince any parent to avail of this medical service.

 

Identification of Disorders Present in Your Newborn

 According to the NSRC (Newborn Screening Reference Center of the Philippines), the Newborn Screening allows newborns to be tested for the following diseases: 

• Congenital Hypothyroidism
• Congenital Adrenal Hyperlasia  
• Galactosemia 
• Phenylketonuria 
• Glucose-6-Phospate-Dehygdrogenase Deficiency (G6PD)
• Maple Syrup Urine Disease 

(Related story: G6PD Deficiency: An Overview)

If a child does not participate in this screening, these disorders would not be known and be addressed, and they would develop further. He may suffer either severe anemia or Kernicterus, cataracts, severe mental retardation or even death from these disorders later on in his life. Newborn screening makes parents aware of their newborn's health right from the start.

 

[previous|page|next]

 

Simple Process, Fast Results

Mrs. Penny Cajipe, mother to Pio, 3 and Pocholo, 4 months, shares how simple newborn screening was for her and her sons. 

"After 48 hours of delivery, my pedia told me to bring my son to the room where newborn screening was administered,” she says. “The nurses got a blood sample from his foot. After that, my son was given back to me. We waited for about two weeks for the results," she says. Stress-free and without the long wait, they had no excuse not to find out about their newborn's health.

 

Peace of Mind

 Mrs. Cajipe recommends this process to other mothers because of the peace that it gives any mother who is worrisome by nature. 

"I learned through the screening that my children are healthy and well,” she shares. “All my anxiety and fears of having children with special needs, and my worries about their health in general, have been erased." 

The results may not imply that your child will be in perfect health his whole life, but knowing that there are some conditions that he will not acquire as he grows up gives any parent a big sigh of relief.

 

Early Intervention

 Newborn screening has provided parents, not only with an awareness of their newborn's condition, but also a sense of readiness for what lies ahead. They say knowing is half the battle, and with this knowledge brought about by this process, parents are ultimately given time to manage the conditions of their baby and to prevent complications. The necessary specialist may then be consulted, medication administered, and therapies implemented for the newborn baby with a condition. This awareness and readiness, when channeled to early intervention, will create wondrous effects to a child's future health.

Medical science is continuously evolving to make lives of children and families easier.  Parents must then seize the advantage provided by newborn screening to be in the know about their child's health. This medical breakthrough, hand in hand with parents' readiness and commitment towards their baby's wellbeing, definitely gives children a chance to live a better and healthier life.

 

Photo by Jon Ovington via flickr creative commons