Every parent wants to bring a healthy baby into the world. While most parents do not expect health problems, on rare occasions a baby is born with a birth defect. This can be devastating news to the parents.

Fortunately, with early diagnosis and treatment, complications from some of these serious conditions can usually be prevented.

To facilitate this early intervention, the University Hygienic Laboratory provides newborn screening services for the Iowa Neonatal Metabolic Screening Program. This screening intervention is accomplished with the support of the Birth Defects Institute of the Iowa Department of Public Health.

Most infants with birth defects show no obvious signs of disease immediately after birth. However, with special tests, the newborn screening program can identify an infant who may have one of these seven disorders and alert the doctor and caregivers of the need for special care of the infant. The goal is to identify the disorder before the problem has time to cause damaging health effects.

A sample for the test is usually collected 24 to 48 hours after the baby's birth. Pricking the baby's heel allows health care providers to collect the necessary dime-sized blood sample. Using this small blood sample, University Hygienic Laboratory is able to test for all seven disorders.

Because these disorders are not common, the chances are excellent that a child will not have one. However, it is important to remember that even though an infant may be free of these particular disorders, there may be other problems that University Hygienic Laboratory does not test for. It is very important for every baby to have regular check-ups and good medical care.