Routine Newborn Medication and Labs

■ Eyes: Eyes are medicated with antibiotic ointment according to hospital policy.
■ Vitamin K injection: Given to prevent hemorrhage.
■ PKU (phenylketonuria): Should be obtained 24 hours after feeding begins. The normal serum blood level is < 4 mg/dL. The sample is obtained from a heel stick using a lancet.
■ Coombs’ Test: Done if mother’s blood is Rh-negative. Determines if the mother has formed harmful antibodies against her fetus’s RBCs and transferred them to her baby via the placenta. Heel stick sample.
■ Immunizations:The physician may order the first hepatitis-B vaccine (Hep-B) to be given soon after birth, prior to the discharge (see Childhood Immunization Schedule).