Contents
Baby tests and screenings at birth
The Apgar test
At birth, the general state of health of our child is determined by the Apgar test. Her heart rate, breathing, muscle tone, skin color, screaming and responsiveness are assessed immediately after childbirth. The Apgar test is repeated 10 minutes later to observe the baby’s adaptation to ectopic life.. Quick, it is performed by the midwife, sometimes even without the mother noticing. It allows, if necessary, to set up medical care.
Inspection of the baby’s organs
The doctor examines the child’s anus and external genitourinary system. If it is a little boy, he checks whether the testicles have descended into the scrotum and whether the opening is at the end of the penis. In the very rare cases where it is difficult to identify the sex of the baby, additional tests are done.
After checking the genitals, the pediatrician examines the baby’s femoral pulses in the groin area.. Then he feels the kidneys, the abdomen (to see if the belly and the navel are normal), and auscultates the heart and the lungs of the child.
Examination of the baby’s feet, hands and joints
The newborn’s hands and feet are also combed through. Once all the fingers have been counted, the doctor examines the appearance of the sole of the foot. He also looks for a possible club foot (foot turned towards the inside or the outside of the ankle) and checks the ability of the toes to bend.
The doctor then checks the baby’s hips, then his legs, and performs the so-called “Barlow” maneuver to detect a possible congenital hip dislocation. He looks at the shape and condition of the spine and verifies the absence of fracture at the level of the clavicles.
Then comes the examination of the face to check the shape of the child’s skull, fontanelles, mouth and palate.
Baby’s measurements
At birth, our baby is weighed and measured by the midwife or childcare assistant. Twenty-four hours later, the doctor starts again and records all this information in the health record.
The head circumference is also measured with a seamstress tape, just above the eyelashes. It is on average 35 cm, but it must above all be in harmony with the size of the newborn.
To know: the first days, baby will lose between 5 and 10% of its weight. This is due to the excess water draining out. It will take about three weeks for him to regain his birth weight.
Checking the baby’s sight and hearing
The baby’s eyesight is checked for possible lacrimation (continuous flow of tears) or possible cataracts.
The doctor also screens for hearing problems, which comes in two forms. The otoacoustic emissions test (OAE), which involves placing a soft earpiece, fitted with a microphone, in the baby’s outer ear. This device makes it possible to know if the child hears normally during the emission of sounds and clicks.
If the baby is less than a day old or if the OAE test does not give clear results, the baby may take the brainstem automatic auditory response (AABR) test. This time around, sounds are emitted through headphones and the brain’s responses are tracked through electrodes.
Systematic screening and archaic reflexes
Before his first week, nyour child will have a small blood test, commonly referred to as the Güthrie test. This sample, taken either from the heel fat or from the top of the hand, can detect certain rare diseases, such as phenylketonuria, hypothyroidism, congenital adrenal hyperplasia, sickle cell anemia (an abnormality of red blood cells) and Cystic fibrosis.
Last but not least, we evaluate the “primitive” reflexes of the newborn, also called archaic reflexes, such as sucking, grasping, the reflex of walking on a flat surface or cardinal reflexes (when the child turns his head and opens his mouth when he touches his cheek or lips).