Newborn blood spot screening helps your baby have the best start in life. It is done to find out if your baby is at risk of having a certain treatable condition that you, your doctor, or midwife can't see by just looking at your baby.
Your baby may look and act healthy, but could still have a treatable condition. Your baby may have a condition even if there's no family history of one.
Finding and treating these conditions early can help prevent health problems. This can improve your baby's overall health and may even save your baby's life.
Where does the screen happen?
If your baby is born in a hospital, newborn blood spot screening is usually done before your baby goes home. If your baby wasn't born in a hospital or if the screening doesn't happen at the hospital, it will be done at a home visit, a clinic visit, or at a lab in your community. It's best if newborn blood spot screening is done when your baby is between 24 and 72 hours old.
How is my baby's blood collected for the screen?
Your baby's blood is collected quickly and safely. The healthcare provider doing the screening will:
- Poke your baby's heel using a small plastic object called a lancet.
- Collect a few drops of your baby's blood onto a special card. Sometimes, the healthcare provider may need to do another poke of your baby's heel to get the right amount of blood.
- Put a gauze on your baby's heel to stop the bleeding.
After the newborn blood spot screen is done, the card with the blood spots goes to the newborn screening lab in Edmonton for testing.
How can I help my baby during the heel poke?
You can help your baby by comforting them, keeping them warm, and holding them against your skin.
Feeding your baby during and after the heel poke often helps, too.
How will I find out my baby's results?
Your doctor or midwife will have the results of your baby's newborn blood spot screen by the time your baby is 2 weeks old. You can talk to your doctor or midwife about your baby's results. The results also become part of your baby's health record.
A healthcare provider will contact you if your baby needs to have the screen done again or if your baby needs more tests.
What does a normal screen result mean?
A normal newborn blood spot screen means it's very unlikely that your baby has one of the
conditions that was tested for.
What if my baby needs the screen done again?
Sometimes the newborn blood spot screen has to be done again to get clear results. This doesn't always mean that your baby has one of the treatable conditions.
The screen may have to be done again if:
- There was a problem with the information provided on the blood spot card or the blood spots themselves.
- There was a borderline screen result. This means the results did not give a clear answer and another screen is needed to get a clear result.
- Your baby was born under 2,000 grams or before 37 weeks. To properly detect some conditions, another screen done after a few weeks will help make sure the test result is clear.
When your baby needs to have the newborn blood spot screen done again, your public health nurse or midwife will arrange for another screen as soon as possible. The screen can happen at a home visit, a clinic visit, a lab in your community, or at the hospital if your baby is in the hospital.
What else can I do to take care of my baby?
Newborn blood spot screening only looks for certain conditions. It doesn't check for any other health problems. So it's important that you take your baby to see a doctor, midwife, or public health nurse regularly. If you're worried about the way your baby is growing or if you think your baby isn't well, contact your healthcare provider. You can also call Health Link at 811.
Always take good care of yourself. This will help you care for your baby.
