The 7 danger signs in a newborn baby are fast or difficult breathing, severe fever or very low body temperature, poor feeding, convulsions or fits, unusual sleepiness or lethargy, yellow skin or eyes and persistent or forceful vomiting.
The key newborn danger signs to lookout for in newborn babies include:
fast or difficult breathing, which involves breathing faster than 60 breaths a minute, grunting, or the newborns chest pulling in tight with each breath.
Temperature changes, like a rectal fever above 100.4F or a low body temperature below 97.5F that does not warm up.
Poor feeding, like refusing to nurse or bottle feed or having a very weak suck.
Convulsions or fits, which include rhythmic jerking, stiffening, or sudden twitching movements.
Lethargy or extreme sleepiness, like being too limp, floppy or very hard to wake up for feeds.
Yellow skin or eyes, includes jaundice which spreads quickly or reaches down to the palms and soles.
Persistent vomiting, which is forceful or green colored spit up that is different from regular mild burp ups.
If your newborn shows any of these danger signs, you should seek emergency medical care right away and go to the ER.
The 5 tests that are given to a newborn are the Apgar Score test, Newborn Blood Spot Screening test, Hearing Screening test, pulse oximetry test and the physical and vital signs exam.
Newborns are given an initial evaluation that consists of 5 core assessments and screenings right after they are born and before they are discharged from the hospital.
The Apgar Score test is a quick test that is given at 1 and 5 minutes after birth that checks 5 vital signs, which include appearance (skin color), pulse (heart rate), grimace (reflexes), activity (muscle tone), and respiration (breathing).
The newborn blood spot screening test is a simple heel prick blood test that is performed in the first few days of the newborns life to check for dozens of rare genetic, hormonal and metabolic disorders like PKU and congenital hypothyroidism.
The hearing screening on a newborn is a quick, painless test that uses a tiny earpiece or microphone to check if the baby has any hearing loss.
The pulse oximetry test is a painless sensor that is placed on the newborns skin to estimate blood oxygen levels and screen for any critical congenital heart defects.
And the physical and vital signs exam that is done for newborns is a head to toe physical check of the newborns heart, lungs, eyes, hips, weight and temperature to spot any immediate health issues.
The 7-panel newborn screening test is a basic heel-prick blood test performed in the first few days of life to check for seven severe, treatable genetic and metabolic disorders.
It identifies hidden conditions early so doctors can start treatment before dangerous symptoms or developmental delays occur.
The Seven Markers and Conditions include:
TSH (Thyroid Stimulating Hormone): Checks for congenital hypothyroidism (a low-functioning thyroid gland that affects growth and brain development).
17-OHP (17-Hydroxyprogesterone): Checks for congenital adrenal hyperplasia (an adrenal gland disorder affecting hormone production).
G6PD (Glucose-6-Phosphate Dehydrogenase): Checks for G6PD deficiency (an enzyme disorder that can cause red blood cells to break down when triggered by certain foods or drugs).
IRT (Immunoreactive Trypsinogen): Checks as a primary screen for cystic fibrosis (a disease causing thick mucus in the lungs and digestive system).
TGAL (Total Galactose / Galactosemia): Checks for classic galactosemia (the inability to process the sugar galactose found in milk).
Biotinidase: Checks for biotinidase deficiency (an inability to recycle vitamin B7/biotin, which can cause seizures and skin rashes).
Phenylalanine: Checks for phenylketonuria or PKU (an amino acid disorder where the body cannot break down phenylalanine, leading to brain damage if untreated).