1-2 Week Well Visit

This may be the first or second visit after discharge from the hospital. At this visit, we continue to check in with the families on how everyone is adjusting to the new baby. We perform a full assessment of the baby, checking for feeding, growth and answer any questions. A routine blood test called newborn metabolic screen or NMS is completed. Some refer to this test as the “PKU”. This is a simple heel stick that collects a small sample of blood that is sent to the state for testing.

Maryland requires 2 newborn metabolic screening tests. Multiple blood tests are run from this small sample of blood to look for metabolic problems that when caught early can set the baby up for a healthy future. This test is completed around 24 hours of age in the newborn nursery and the second, can be anytime after the first week and up to 2 weeks of age. Results usually come back in 4 weeks sometimes sooner. If the baby is born premature or had a blood transfusion, there may be an alternate schedule for testing.