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Maternal & Child Health

Advisory Committee on Heritable Disorders in Newborns and Children
 

THE HEALTH PROFESSIONAL'S GUIDE FOR BRIEF PRENATAL DISCUSSION WITH PARENTS

  1. All newborn babies are required by the State to get tested for some rare disorders before they leave the hospital.
  2. Babies with these disorders may look healthy at birth.
  3. Serious problems can be prevented if we find out about the disorders right away.
  4. To do the test, a nurse will take a few drops of blood from your baby’s heel.
  5. Your baby’s health professional and the hospital will get a copy of the test results. Call your baby’s health professional if you would like to talk about the results.
  6. Some babies will need to be retested.  If your baby needs to be retested, you will be notified. It is very important to get retested quickly.
  7. If you have further questions you can call the clinic or the State Health Department.