For Parents

Why screening is important for all babies

• Testing all babies is important because most babies appear healthy at birth, even babies who have disorders that need treatment.
• Newborn screening helps prevent certain treatable disorders. Babies with these disorders need treatment in early infancy to prevent severe disease later on.

Most likely, your baby does not have one of these disorders; screening can help determine that.

The process for testing

• Testing for newborn screening is done on a few small drops of blood collected when your baby is about two days old.
• If testing shows that your baby has signs of one of these treatable disorders, your baby's doctor will contact you to arrange treatment.