Title: Newborn Screening Procedures | Baby's First Test | Newborn Screening | Baby Health
Headings: Screening Procedures
Your Baby’s Screening Screening Procedures
What are the screening procedures?
Blood Test:
Hearing Screen:
Pulse Oximetry Testing:
Why are all babies screened at birth?
Do parents have to ask for screening?
When does the screen happen?
How will parents find out the results?
How are screening costs covered?
Newborn Screening and Home Births
Newborn Screening for Preterm, Low Birth Weight, NICU or Sick Newborns
Newborn Screening and Adoption
Newborn Screening for Military Families
Additional Questions
Looking for more specific information?
Find a condition What your state offers

Content: Test: This test is used to evaluate the auditory brain stem (the part of the nerve that carries sound from the ear to the brain) and the brain’s response to sound. During this test, miniature earphones are placed in the ear and sounds are played. Band-Aid-like electrodes are placed along the baby’s head to detect the brain’s response to the sounds. If the baby’s brain does not respond consistently to the sounds, there may be a hearing problem. To find contact information for your state's Early Hearing Detection and Intervention (EHDI) program, click here. Pulse Oximetry Testing: Pulse oximetry, or pulse ox, is a non-invasive
A medical test or procedure that does not require a doctor to insert any device through the skin or into a body opening
test that measures how much oxygen is in the blood. Infants with heart problems may have low blood oxygen levels, and therefore, the pulse ox test can help identify babies that may have Critical Congenital Heart Disease (CCHD). The test is done using a machine called a pulse oximeter, using a painless sensor placed on the baby’s skin.