How is the Screening done?
The newborn’s heel is pricked and a few drops of blood are put on a special filter paper. This is done before your baby is discharged from the hospital. The filter paper is sent by courier or mailed to the Missouri State Public Health Laboratory, Newborn Screening Laboratory. If your baby is born at home, you need to make an appointment with your baby’s doctor to have a newborn blood-spot screening test. Preferably, this test should be done at 24 – 48 hours after birth.
