Newborn Screening- Resources for Prenatal Education

Explore the tabs here for recommendations on information that should be shared with new and expecting parents. Each tab highlights information that providers should share with families to help them be prepared for their newborn screening journey.

MDHHS recommends that providers share the following information with families before delivery: 

• Introduce newborn screening: Families should be told about the required newborn screen during the prenatal period. Newborn screening is an important public health program because it finds babies with rare but serious disorders that require early treatment. 
• Establish relationship with a primary care provider: Primary care providers, like pediatricians, play an important role in communicating screening results to families. Families should be encouraged to establish a primary care provider to ensure efficient communication of newborn screening results. Families should tell this information to their health care provider at birth. 
• Outline choices after screening: Families should be aware of what happens to leftover blood spots after newborn screening and their options to participate in the BioTrust for Health research program.

The following documents can be shared with families during the prenatal period. These documents are available to order in bulk free of charge through the Newborn Screening Online Ordering System: 

• Michigan Newborn Screening – Information for Expectant Parents Brochure (English) (Spanish) (Arabic)
• Newborn Screening and BioTrust for Health Roadmap Infographic (English) (Spanish) (Arabic) 
• Newborn Screening – What to Expect Infographic (English) 

MDHHS recommends that providers share the following information with families to help them understand the newborn screening processes that happen shortly after birth: 

• Newborn screening collection: About 24 to 36 hours after a baby is born, the families health care team will perform newborn screening. Screening includes three tests: (1) blood spot screening, (2) critical congenital heart disease (CCHD) screening and (3) hearing screening. Results from the CCHD and hearing screening will be available immediately. Blood spots are sent to the newborn screening laboratory at MDHHS where they are tested for more than 50 rare but serious conditions. Blood spot screening results will be available from the family’s primary care provider one to two weeks after birth. 
• MIchigan BioTrust for Health consent process: The BioTrust for Health is an MDHHS program that oversees the research use of blood spots that are left over after newborn screening is complete. Through an informed consent process, families choose if their child's left over blood spots can be used in de-identified public health research. Around the time that blood spots are collected, the family's health care team will give the family the After Newborn Screening brochure and the BioTrust for Health consent form. Families should read the brochure and mark their decision, either "yes" or "no" and sign the consent form. 

MDHHS recommends that providers share the following information with families to prepare them for what happens after newborn screening: 

• Blood spot screening results: After blood spots are tested at the newborn screening laboratory, results are sent to a child's health care provider. If an out-of-range result is detected, the baby's doctor will be notified immediately. Families can ask their primary care provider for the results at their 2-week well child visit. 
• Choices for blood spots after screening: Families can change their BioTrust consent decisions at any time by contacting BioTrust@Michigan.gov. Families can also request that left over blood spots be destroyed after screening is complete or returned to them. To request that blood spots be destroyed, families should complete the Residual Newborn Screening Blood Spot Directive form. To request that blood spots be returned to them, families should complete the Requesting Return of Residual Dried Blood Spots for Personal Use form.