Often, the team will aim to have all lines, respiratory support, x rays and lab work completed within the first hour after birth. The frequency of tests could be every 6 hours or just once daily in the first 3-4 days, depending on how stable or unstable your baby is.

Common blood tests include:

• Blood gas to check levels of acids to check carbon dioxide levels to guide us to reduce or increase the breathing support or leave it unchanged
• CBC – looks for anemia, bleeding risk indicators (low platelets) and infection (low or very high white cell count)
• Bilirubin - all premature babies have jaundice. We need to treat high levels with phototherapy/ UV light therapy
• Electrolytes – sodium and potassium levels are often abnormal of very preterm babies and will require adjustments in intravenous fluids we give
• Fat, protein and sugar indicators need to be checked as we give a full cocktail of intravenous feeding while we wait for baby to tolerate sufficient milk intake for growth. We adjust the IV feeding contents daily.