Is Your Baby Normal: Why Should You Get Your Newborn Screened?

Your baby’s eyes need to be examined for a “red-eye” reflex to ensure the baby has no “cataract”, which, if present, can damage babies vision development if not picked at birth.

What is newborn screening? Most parents don’t know their baby is being declared normal without a complete examination! Yes, babies must be examined “from head to toe” for all physical abnormalities, including imperforate anus. But that’s not it for the last 60 years yes, for the previous six decades babies in most parts of the world are “examined” for biochemical and enzymatic disorders which, if present, will make babies mentally retarded within two weeks! Dr Kishore Kumar, Neonatologist and Pediatrician at Cloudnine Group of Hospitals, Bengaluru shares that yes this is called newborn screening it has been sixty years since this technology has been available in the world so please insist on your baby being “examined”, for these before your Pediatrician declares your baby as NORMAL.

Your baby’s eyes need to be examined for a “red-eye” reflex to ensure the baby has no “cataract”, which, if present, can damage babies vision development if not picked at birth.
Hearing screening Deaf & Dumb is a thing of the past No baby can ever become dumb if their deafness is detected at birth and treated before they turn three months. So insist on babies’ hearing being screened.
Heart Disease Screening called CCCHD screening is a screening test for detecting complex congenital heart disease soon after birth generally 24 hours after delivery by just checking oxygen levels in all four limbs yes, it is as simple as that. If your baby is found to have CCCHD survival chances are much better than being diagnosed later.
Hips Get your baby screened for DDH it is a simple clinical examination your Pediatrician has to do to ensure your baby’s hips are normal especially in girls or babies born by the breech presentation.
Last but not least, ALL babies need to be examined with a blood test for thyroid, G6PD enzyme and another enzyme called 17 OHP these three diseases are a must to be checked for all babies born in India if your baby has underactive thyroid then the baby will become cretin within two weeks which means mentally retarded.
If your baby has a deficiency of the enzyme G6PD the baby can develop severe jaundice, causing brain damage. Abnormality in 17 OHP diagnoses means it can ensure your baby will not be transgender or hijra. All these three tests should NOT cause you more than Rs. 5oo, including hospital charges.
There are optional testing for a few more enzyme disorders (about 50 diseases) called TMS Tandem Mass Spectrophotometry which can pick up any abnormality in digesting fats, carbohydrates or proteins these are rare but still present in India generally, it is recommended for all babies especially if you have had a baby who is premature or had a baby die in the uterus before birth, or a baby die in the newborn period without any apparent reason.

So please share this information with all prospective parents to ensure every mother and father know about this and demand your paediatrician to ensure your baby is examined “from all aspects” before they declare your baby NORMAL.