How long should I delay my PKU test?

[bekkers]

We had another successful UC this past Wednesday (3/24) -- it's a boy! We took him to the ped yesterday (3/26) and he got a pretty short cursory exam, no apparent problems. The ped was not set up to do a PKU, though (maybe he doesn't get a lot of HBs? it's a family practice, not a dedicated ped), so he told us to get it done at a 3rd-party lab. The place he called is the lab in the nearest hospital, and we'd like to avoid making that particular trip if possible.

I go to a standalone diagnostic lab for my own personal bloodwork and have had good experiences there, so I was thinking of calling to see if they can do newborn screenings, rather than doing the hospital lab. The problem is, the hospital lab is open today but the independent lab will not be open until Monday.

I have read about some of the stuff covered by the screenings, and I'm having trouble telling if it's time-sensitive enough that waiting 2 more days will make a difference. Should I wait and try to get it done Monday or should we take him in to the hospital later today?

(Posted by DH)

[AutumnAir]

Well in the Uk the PKU test is done between 5-8 days old, so I'd say Monday should be fine. Link

ETA: Congratulations on your new arrival!!

[fyrebloom]

Congratz! Id wait until your milk comes in at least. We did my son's too early and got a false positive

[hapahaolegirl]

It's best to treat a newborn who has PKU within a week to prevent too much brain damage. The good news is the chances of your child having PKU is small. Though the PKU test really tests for a huge variety of genetic disorders, not just PKU.

Take care!

[boheime]

Baby needs to be digesting milk, not colostrum. Call your local lab first. The lab where I get my bloodwork done does not do the blood draws for newborn testing. When I asked if there as any way they could, I was told that I probably wouldn't want them doing it anyway since they never do it - that we would want someone more experienced. We've had to go to a hospital lab with each child and have yet to have a good experience.

[Cuddlebaby]

I agree, milk needs to be in and well established through baby's system. BUT don't get it done on day 8! highest blood clotting factor on day 8 (why jews circ on that day) and he'll get his little heel poked many times! btdt, learn from my mistake.

[amyjeans]

I agree with Fyrebloom on this. There is no real rush, but is important. All of my 4 kids were tested 1 week after birth, but I requested a second blood draw because of my history with hypothyroidism. Low and behold, my #2 girl, after the second true blooddraw (not a 2nd pku) was diagnosed with hypothyroidism. It was missed on the 1st test because the baby was still processing my blood (placental) in her body and the lab and doctor both agree that its possible, a test so soon after birth could cause a false reading. kwim?
Doing it w/in the first week is good, but I also like double checking after a month. But that's me.

[claddaghmom]

I'm curious, if you have a hospital birth, when is the test routinely done?

[chase_mommy]

Originally Posted by claddaghmom

I'm curious, if you have a hospital birth, when is the test routinely done?

I was released from the hospital 24 hours after both of mine were born, so sometime in that span. If my memory serves me correctly it was about 18 - 20 hours after birth.

~Why do they do this if your milk needs to be in? Wouldn't make more since to have the parents bring baby back in or something? Just curious.

[ann_of_loxley]

I would wait at least a week. Thats what they do here in the UK anyhow.

[chinupchamp]

Originally Posted by chase_mommy

I was released from the hospital 24 hours after both of mine were born, so sometime in that span. If my memory serves me correctly it was about 18 - 20 hours after birth.

~Why do they do this if your milk needs to be in? Wouldn't make more since to have the parents bring baby back in or something? Just curious.

I hate to say it, but convenience maybe? It's just something to get done before the mom leaves with the baby because we're essentially already there and what if we don't come back to have it done...

I know that my next baby (hopefully UC) will wait a week before undergoing that test. On day two of my LO's life she was tough to get that much blood from!

BTW, there's some interesting research out there on the ideal place to use the lancet on the heel of a newborn - never on the bottom! Just food for thought.

[fairydoula]

Originally Posted by chase_mommy

I was released from the hospital 24 hours after both of mine were born, so sometime in that span. If my memory serves me correctly it was about 18 - 20 hours after birth.

~Why do they do this if your milk needs to be in? Wouldn't make more since to have the parents bring baby back in or something? Just curious.

Hospitals are required to do the PKU on all infants. Because most mothers are released within 24 hours, they do the PKU before you leave, NOT when the test is most effective. Basically, so they can say, SEE, we did the test! And the reason that they don't release you and say, come back in 2 days or 3 days to take the PKU is that many people won't/don't come back, which means they don't get their required 100% of infants tested. This puts them in big trouble with the state.
The best spot is on the SIDE of the baby's heel, and it's best to warm up the heel first. It sucks to do something that hurtful to an infant! I hated doing them when I was apprenticing! I think it's always best to give baby RIGHT back to mamma and ask them to nurse right away. Helps reduce the pain perception for baby.
- Jen

[karika]

PKU is not a requirement by the hospital where I live. Just FYI. I declined the test for a few reasons. I had no problem with declining.