NEW BORN BABY TEST: ‘The hand check!’

In the hours after a baby is born, the baby will have several tests and examinations to check that he is healthy and well. Knowing what the doctors are looking for will put your mind at rest and give you the opportunity to ask any questions you might have. What is included in the ‘new born baby hand test’? NEW BORN BABY HAND TEST: “The baby’s arms, hands, legs and feet will be checked. The fingers and toes are counted to make sure they are all there and to check for webbing (syndactyly). The hand palms will be checked for two palmar creases; a single palmar creases (a.k.a. simian line) is less common, however 4 per cent of the population have one palmar crease on one hand and 1 per cent have one palmar crease on both hands. This is sometimes associated with Down’s syndrome but in the unlikely event of your baby being affected there would be other hand signs, such as the ‘high positioned axial triradius’.” SUGGESTIONS FOR FURTHER READING: • Development of the hand lines in a baby hand! • Hand characteristics in Down’s syndrome! • Hand characteristics in fragile-X syndrome! • Preserving the shapes of a babies’ hands!