09/02/2026
It’s Newborn Screening Awareness Month, so let’s talk about the newborn metabolic screen - the heel poke done the first few days after birth. This is a screening that I think is really important to understand.
This newborn screen looks for a long list of rare metabolic, endocrine, and hormonal disorders. These conditions are RARE, but also incredibly serious. Babies can look completely healthy at birth while something is happening that we can’t see yet, so finding out early can mean starting treatment before a baby becomes sick or before permanent damage occurs.
I’ve seen both sides of this screening over the years. I’ve had many families choose to decline it, for many different reasons. I’ve also known several families whose babies were diagnosed because of newborn screening and were able to get the care they needed early. One of those babies belongs to a very close friend of mine- her sweet boy was diagnosed with classic PKU. That experience makes this screening feel less hypothetical to me.
It’s also an imperfect screening. A positive screen does NOT mean your baby has the condition. Statistically, false positives happen more often than true positives. They can lead to repeat blood draws, more testing, appointments, waiting, and a whole lot of stress while figuring out whether something is actually wrong.
I don’t think informed choice means only talking about the benefits of something - or only talking about the risks. I want you to understand both, but I’ll respect whatever you choose to do.
These disorders are RARE. False positives happen. Most babies will have a completely normal screen. But for the small number of babies who truly have one of these conditions, finding out early is life changing- often lifesaving.
