No, standard newborn screening doesn’t include blood type; ABO/Rh testing happens only when clinically needed or for a parent’s Rh care after birth.
What Newborn Screening Actually Includes
Newborn screening is a public health program that checks babies shortly after birth for conditions where early treatment makes a difference. It uses three parts: a dried blood spot card, a quick check of oxygen levels to look for critical heart defects, and a hearing screen. These steps run in the first day or two of life and are required across the United States, with the exact blood spot panel set by each state.
| Screening Part | What It Checks | Timing/How |
|---|---|---|
| Blood spot card — A few drops from a heel stick go on filter paper. The state lab screens for dozens of rare but serious disorders, such as congenital hypothyroidism, phenylketonuria, cystic fibrosis, hemoglobinopathies, and more. Results take a few days. | ||
| Pulse-ox heart screen — A sensor on hand and foot checks oxygen levels to flag critical congenital heart disease. It is quick, painless, and catches problems that might be missed during a normal exam. | ||
| Hearing screen — Newborns get either otoacoustic emissions or automated auditory brainstem response. Both are safe and fast, and can find hearing loss early so that supports start right away. |
Is Blood Typing Part Of Newborn Screening Programs?
The short answer is no. The heel-prick card looks for specific metabolic, endocrine, and blood disorders, but it does not determine ABO or Rh. Blood typing is a separate laboratory task that hospitals order when there is a medical reason to know the baby’s ABO/Rh group or antibody status.
When Babies Do Get ABO/Rh Testing
While blood type is not on the screening card, many nurseries still check it in certain situations. Below are the most common reasons a lab will type a newborn’s blood or run a direct antiglobulin test, also called a DAT or Coombs test.
Maternal Rh-Negative Care After Birth
If a parent is Rh-negative, the team needs to know the baby’s RhD status from cord blood to decide on the parent’s postpartum Rh immune globulin dose. Typing the baby’s Rh is part of obstetric care, not part of the screening program.
Risk For Hemolysis Or Jaundice
Babies born to type O parents, or to parents with red-cell antibodies, have a higher chance of hemolysis and jaundice. In these cases, the team may order the infant’s ABO/Rh and a DAT. Current pediatric practice favors targeted testing rather than checking every baby.
Blood Needed For Treatment Or Transfusion
Infants in the NICU, or any newborn who might need a transfusion or surgery, must have a confirmed ABO/Rh before blood products are used. That testing is done by the hospital blood bank under separate protocols.
Unknown Prenatal Records
When prenatal records are missing or maternal blood type is unclear, staff may type the baby to guide care and documentation.
Why Blood Type Isn’t On The Dried Blood Spot Panel
Blood spot cards use dried capillary blood drops to screen dozens of conditions in one pass. ABO/Rh typing, by contrast, depends on live red-cell reactions that are not reliable on dried cards. Newborns also lack the fully developed anti-A and anti-B antibodies used in reverse typing during the first months of life, so labs rely on cord or venous blood for accurate results. For these reasons, adding ABO/Rh to the card would not return dependable results, and programs keep the two workflows separate.
What Parents Receive In Their Newborn Screening Results
Families typically hear back about the blood spot panel within a week, sometimes sooner, with hearing and pulse-ox results before discharge. Results arrive through the hospital portal or the pediatric office. If a separate blood type or DAT was ordered, those results appear in the regular hospital lab record, not in the screening report. That split often causes confusion, so it helps to know they are different pipelines.
Simple Ways To Check Your Child’s Blood Type Later
If you need the ABO/Rh later, ask for the delivery lab report or the discharge summary, since many hospitals record it when they have a reason to test. When no test exists, a clinician can order blood typing during routine care. Some families choose to learn it years later when a teen donates blood, but that’s optional and not the goal of newborn testing.
| Scenario | Tests You Might See | What The Results Tell Clinicians |
|---|---|---|
| Parent is Rh-negative — Cord blood is typed for RhD. If the baby is Rh-positive, the parent receives Rh immune globulin after delivery to reduce the risk of sensitization. | ||
| Parent is type O — The team may order the baby’s ABO/Rh and a DAT to look for ABO incompatibility as a cause of jaundice. | ||
| Baby needs a transfusion — The blood bank confirms ABO/Rh and performs crossmatching to choose compatible products. | ||
| No prenatal records — Staff may type the infant and sometimes repeat the parent’s testing to complete the chart. | ||
| Strong jaundice early — Targeted DAT and type are used along with bilirubin checks to sort out hemolysis versus normal newborn physiology. | ||
| Family asks to know only — Many nurseries do not draw a separate sample for curiosity alone, especially if no other blood work is planned. |
Practical Notes That Clear Up Common Mix-Ups
Many parents hear that a baby had “blood tests” and assume that includes a blood type. In reality, the heel-prick card sends a tiny amount of blood to the state lab for dozens of rare, serious conditions; it is not a full lab panel. The oxygen check and hearing screen are not blood tests at all. Typing and antibody testing sit in the blood bank or core lab and are ordered only when needed for care.
State Panels, Hospital Policies, And Why Experiences Differ
The list of disorders on the blood spot panel varies by state, and hospitals set their own nursery policies for cord blood work. One birth center might type every baby of an Rh-negative parent. Another may reserve typing and DAT for targeted cases. These are policy choices, not changes to what newborn screening includes.
What About Other Countries?
Panels differ worldwide, and some hospitals type more babies where prenatal records are scarce. Even then, ABO/Rh testing stays a clinical lab task, while the blood spot card remains a public health program.
Sample Timeline From Birth To Results
- Minutes 0–10: Baby dries and bonds on the chest; pulse-ox and thermometer checks follow.
- Hours 12–24: A nurse collects the heel-prick card once feeding is stable.
- Hours 24–48: Hearing and pulse-ox screens finish if not done earlier.
- Day 0: If the parent is Rh-negative, staff type RhD from cord blood.
- By Day 2: Families see hearing and pulse-ox results before discharge.
- Days 3–7: The pediatric office receives the blood spot report from the state lab.
Common Myths About Newborn Screening And Blood Type
- “They took blood, so they must know the type.” The heel-prick card uses only drops on paper for specialized assays and does not run a full blood panel.
- “A normal screen means no risk of jaundice.” Screening looks for specific disorders; feeding, bruising, and blood group differences can still push bilirubin up in the first week.
- “Every baby gets typed.” Many healthy term babies leave without an ABO/Rh in the chart because there was no medical need to run it.
- “Type O parents always make jaundiced babies.” Many O-parent infants do great and never need treatment; care teams watch trends and step in only if needed.
- “Hearing and heart screens use blood.” Both tests are noninvasive and do not require a blood sample.
What To Ask Before Discharge
- Which screening tests were completed and when will the blood spot results arrive?
- Was my baby’s blood typed or DAT checked, and if so, where will those results exactly appear?
- Are there any follow-up appointments or repeat screens already scheduled?
Key Takeaways For New Parents
- Newborn screening includes a dried blood spot card, pulse-ox heart screen, and hearing screen.
- It does not include ABO or Rh typing.
- ABO/Rh and DAT are ordered when care teams need them for Rh-negative management, jaundice risk, transfusion planning, or missing records.
- Screening results come from the state program; blood type results, if done, come from the hospital lab.
- Policies differ by state and hospital, which is why families’ experiences vary.