Are you a new or expecting parent? Newborn screening is an essential public health service that offers screening to all babies born or living in Alberta for serious but treatable conditions. Finding these conditions early means that babies get the treatment they need when it can help them the most.
Your baby will have the opportunity to be screened before you’re sent home from the hospital. You may also be given information on where to get screening done in the community. Screening is free, fast, and safe, and it is done shortly after birth.
In Alberta, there are two parts to newborn screening: blood spot screening (sometimes referred to as “heel poke”) and hearing screening.
- Blood spot screening is provided by Alberta’s Newborn Metabolic Screening (NMS) program. It is used to find out if your baby has one of 22 treatable conditions that can’t be seen just by looking at your baby. Finding and treating these conditions early can help prevent health problems, improve your baby’s overall health, and may even save your baby’s life.
- Newborn hearing screening is provided by Alberta’s Early Hearing Detection and Intervention (EHDI) program and identifies if your baby has permanent hearing loss as early as possible. Hearing is important for a child’s brain development. Finding hearing loss early can help prevent delays in your child’s speech, learning, and social skills.
Newborn screening is the best way to find out if your baby has a condition that you, your doctor, or your midwife may not have noticed yet. Learn more at ahs.ca/newbornscreening.
