After going through nine long months of prenatal care, paying attention to your diet, exams to monitor fetal development, it’s finally time to meet the little person who moved the whole family even before being seen. Just because all the tests during pregnancy were fine, it doesn’t mean the baby is free from undergoing a few procedures. All newborns must have tests after birth to detect possible diseases or genetic disorders.

Mandatory Tests

It really breaks your heart to imagine and see that tiny baby going through procedures with needles, but it’s truly indispensable. The mandatory tests for newborns after birth are:

  • Heel prick test
  • Blood typing
  • Hearing test
  • Eye test
  • Heart test
  • Hip test

The tests for newborns after birth have become more comprehensive and detailed, enabling the early diagnosis of diseases which could take months or even years to show symptoms, but which could already affect the baby’s health in the very first months of life.

Heel Prick Test

The heel prick test is done by collecting a sample from the baby’s heel. The collection should take place within the period of 48 hours to one week of life after birth and the analysis is done in the lab. This is a completely free test that can be done at the maternity hospital before discharge or at the nearest health clinic. Through this small sample, it is possible to detect 6 types of diseases: congenital hypothyroidism, sickle cell anemia, phenylketonuria, adrenal hyperplasia, cystic fibrosis, and biotinidase deficiency. The collection uses drops of the baby’s blood placed on a paper filter and sent to the neonatal screening laboratory. The collection receives the mother’s identification data and all contact details, besides the place where it was carried out. If the result shows any abnormality, the family and the collection site are notified by the lab and new tests for confirmation are requested. The basic heel prick test is free, but if parents choose to have the extended heel prick test, SUS does not cover it and the cost varies greatly by region. The extended test detects, in addition to the 6 common diseases, more than 30 other diseases.

Blood Typing

The test that finds the baby’s blood type and determines if it’s A, B, AB or O as well as the RH factor positive or negative is done with the sample collected for the heel prick test. Blood type information is essential for ensuring prompt care in medical emergencies and checking blood compatibility with the mother.

Hearing Test

The neonatal hearing screening test, popularly known as the hearing test, is a mandatory test for newborns after birth, designed to detect hearing problems in the baby. The test is provided free by SUS and also in maternity hospitals. It should preferably be done between 24 and 48 hours after birth, but can be done up to the baby’s first month. The test diagnoses hearing problems and detects even minimal degrees of deafness. The procedure involves using a device placed in the baby’s ear. If any abnormality is found, the baby is referred to an ENT specialist (otolaryngologist) for assessment and guidance on appropriate treatment.

Eye Test

The red reflex test, or eye test as it is better known, is also one of the mandatory and free tests provided by SUS and private insurers. Its purpose is to diagnose early vision problems such as cataracts, strabismus, and glaucoma. It’s usually done in the maternity hospital before discharge but can also be done at the first pediatric appointment, preferably in the baby’s first week of life. The eye test is usually repeated in later pediatric appointments at 4, 6, 12, and 24 months. It’s a way to prevent and reduce the chances of childhood blindness. Although it is a mandatory test for all babies, it is especially indicated for babies born with microcephaly or to mothers who had Zika virus during pregnancy, since these groups have the highest rates of babies with vision problems. The test is painless and quick! Using a device that projects a light into the baby’s eyes, the doctor can detect possible problems based on the resulting color. If the reflected light is red, orange, or slightly yellow, the eyes are healthy. If it’s whitish, an ophthalmological evaluation is requested.

Heart Test

Although the name specifies the heart, the test is done using a blood sample collected from the baby’s leg or thigh. This is one of the mandatory newborn tests and is completely free. It must be done while still at the maternity hospital, between 24 and 48 hours of life, and measures the levels of oxygen in the baby’s blood. If the test shows low oxygen in the sample, or there’s a significant difference between samples, the baby may have heart problems and additional tests will be needed for confirmation.

Hip Test

The hip test is mandatory in the SUS network and maternity hospitals in only some states, but it can be requested by the doctor or by the maternity hospital. The exam involves moving the baby’s legs to detect hip development dysplasia. This problem can cause severe pain, limb shortening, and osteoarthritis.

IMPORTANT: All mandatory tests are extremely important for the life of the newborn. They make it possible to detect diseases without symptoms that can cause serious harm if not treated in time.

In addition to all these vital exams to identify possible diseases early, let’s not forget to emphasize the importance of childhood vaccination. In the early months, the baby receives, according to the recommended schedule, specific vaccines that protect against different diseases. See Also: First Pediatric Visit – How to Choose the Doctor? Photos: Ana_Cotta