Exams and Tests for Your Baby

Your baby will need a few medicines, routine tests, and immunizations while you are in the hospital. This is to make sure that they’re healthy when they’re born and to help them stay healthy.

Newborn Medicines

Erythromycin Eye Ointment

A small amount of antibiotic ointment is put in each of your baby’s eyes soon after birth. It helps prevent eye infections from germs that can be passed during birth.

Vitamin K Shot

This is a shot given to babies soon after birth. Babies are born with low vitamin K, which the body needs to help blood clot.

The shot helps prevent serious bleeding, including bleeding in the brain.

Hepatitis B Immunization

This vaccine will protect your baby from getting hepatitis B (a serious liver disease) in the future. It will also protect your baby from getting it during birth just in case you had hepatitis B and didn’t know.

This is the first of three to four shots to protect your baby from hepatitis B infection.
Here is some more information about how this shot helps protect babies.

Newborn Tests and Care

Hearing test: This test is simple and painless. It only takes a few minutes.
Heart screen: This is done to make sure your baby’s heart is healthy.
First bath: This will not occur until your baby is 12-24 hours old. It’s not done right away to make sure that your baby stays warm and that their blood sugar stays in the normal range.
Removing the umbilical cord clamp: We will remove your baby’s umbilical cord clamp 24 hours after they are born. Please let us know if you want us to save the clamp for you.
Circumcision: If you have a baby boy and want a circumcision, we wait until the baby is at least 12-24 hours old, has peed at least once, and is showing signs that he isn’t having any trouble eating.
- The circumcision will be done outside of your room, but you or a support person may go with your baby.
Newborn screen: Newborn screening is a blood test that looks for certain health problems. These problems are rare, but if found early, they can be treated.
- Most babies do not have these problems. The test helps make sure.
- A nurse or lab worker will take a few drops of blood from your baby’s heel. This is usually done when your baby is about two days old.
- If the test shows signs of a problem, your baby’s doctor will call you to talk about next steps and treatment.