Following the birth of your baby, it is important to complete a series of tests to ensure they are healthy.
Hearing test
After your baby is born, we routinely offer a hearing test, which is non-invasive (it is generally done while they sleep), and is done on the ward before you go home. If you go home early before this is completed, you are able to make an appointment to bring your baby back for the test. Early detection of hearing loss means parents can receive good advice and support from the start, which allows the baby the best start in life.
Newborn screening test (NST)
The other test routinely offered is the NST. Some people know this as the heel prick test, and it is done when your baby is 36-72 hours old, possibly while you are still at the hospital, or otherwise at home. This test looks for very rare but serious medical conditions that are otherwise undetectable at birth. You will need to give your consent for any of these tests.
Jaundice
Jaundice is caused by a build up of a pigment called bilirubin in your baby’s blood and tissue. This causes them to look slightly yellow, and is very common and rarely serious. Usually, just by feeding your baby regularly, this will pass within a few days. If your baby is very sleepy, or not feeding well, we may be concerned about this level of jaundice.
Every 24 hours we will use a skin sensor that checks to see if any further testing for jaundice is required. Further testing would be a heel prick blood test. If levels are high your baby will need phototherapy treatment to help the, process the bilirubin.
Low Sugars
If your baby has risk factors for low sugar (Hypoglycaemia), such as being small or large, or if you have diabetes or develop diabetes in pregnancy, we recommend testing your babies sugar levels. This is often done over a period of time to compare levels and is done as a heel prick blood test. If your baby is not maintaining their sugars, we will involve the paediatric team, in their care and they may require closer observation within the Special Care Nursery for a period of time.