A mother always wants what is best for her child first and foremost!

As a mother,, I know just how important it is to keep your child healthy and safe. There is no greater comfort.

This post was sponsored by Eli Newborn Screening, but all thoughts and opinions are my own. 

Giving Birth to my son was by far the most harrowing and happiest moments of my life thus far. It’s quite unbelievable that as a mother am responsible for another persons well being. Let’s not be fooled motherhood is overwhelming and no it does not get easier as time goes by, you are faced with a whole new set of problems as your children get older. As a mother, it is extremely important that I make the right choices for my baby, there is no manual, book or person that can truly make those decisions except me.

When I had my son I was pretty much clueless. It was such a new experience and I was lost. I was not well educated on what to do when it came to the whole process. I had, of course, read many books, googled everything- yet I still wasn’t prepared. I just went along with what was recommended by the professionals. I never even knew about screening newborns for treatable diseases!

Luckily J was born healthy! Now that I am more educated on the topic of newborn screening I know it will be something that I utilize when my husband and I are ready to have another baby.

Here are 3 reasons why newborn screening is so important for your baby:

1. There should be more done – Unfortunately, newborn babies do not get tested for all of the possible conditions that could affect newborn babies. There are many disorders/conditions that if caught early enough- they can be treated with great success!
2. Standard Screening is not Regulated/Standardized – Currently, in NY where I live, babies are screened for a total of 58 conditions  there are so many more disorders out there folks! Each state tests for the different amount of conditions, NJ tests for 57 while North Carolina only tests for 37! That’s a huge difference!
3. Early Diagnosis and Treatment KEY – As a nurse, I know just how important this is! When a condition is found early, the chances of treating it successfully in most cases is extremely high- of course, it does depend on the disorder.

What can be done to prevent missing a diagnosis early on?

Eli Newborn Screening

Eli is a newborn screening service that screens for additional treatable conditions, giving your baby the happiest, healthiest start. Eli screens for 32 conditions on top of the typical tests for newborns. Every single condition they test for is TREATABLE like I said previously early diagnosis and treatment is KEY!

The Process is Simple:

• You will order your Eli Kit online. When your receive your kit in the mail – there is a health questionnaire that you will fill out as part of the registration process.
• A physician will review your answers and prescribes the tests that will be needed for your newborn.
• YOUR family pediatrician will collect the necessary samples which will be sent to the Eli lab for testing. The samples could also be collected at the hospital shortly after the baby is born.
• You will then receive the results for your newborn- a full report and access to genetic counseling is provided.
• Why a genetic counselor? They help families understand the lab results as well as answer any questions that you and your family may be facing – There are genetic counselors available throughout the whole entire Eli process as well as for any questions or concerns you may have.

Eli is something that I will definitely be utilizing for my next baby. I just wish I had known about it sooner! I love that they focus on helping families like mine to deal with and understand inherited conditions- before they pose an issue with children. If you are pregnant, planning on conceiving or know someone who is, make sure you grab your kit and pass on this pertinent information!