Blood Test

Blood test? For what? My son did have some blood drawn when he was about 1 but it was just for lead. And it was only a finger prick. They did it right there in the office.

My daughter had the same test. We went to Quest and they were really good. They had me hold her on my lap and hold her arms, they found a vein quickly and drew the blood in just a few seconds. I think being restrained is what scares the kids.

M., Yes I remember all of my 4 kids having this done. It is not easy but if the lab tech is good they should handle it well. It is very quick. Good luck!!!!

C.
Mom helping Moms work from home

What is the blood test for??

My son has been tested for hemoglobin and lead, and they just do a finger prick in the office. I've never had to take him to a lab before. He hates it, but gets over it. I am, however, going to schedule his visits in the evening because the day nurse takes his hand, pricks his finger, and then bends it backward to the paper where you put the blood on. It doesn't make sense to cause him more pain in that method, and it really bothers me when she does it. If she'd move his hand in the "normal" direction the blood would flow out much easier too.

Anyway, the BEST way to be prepared is to call the lab in advance and ask them what their procedure is for taking blood from 1 yr olds.

I read the other responses about all the crying and having a rough time but that is not necessarily true. When my now 17 y/o was 15 months she had to have eye surgery which required a pre-op blood screening. She was a little scared but the tech was very kind and let her see everything first and other than a little crying she was fine. I hope things go as smoothly for you.

hello M.,

i also had to bring my son in for a blood test when he turned 1 year. i took him to Quest. The girls there were good with him as they tried over and over again to find a vain. after about 10 mins or so they finally found one. he cried from the punture but mostly because he was scared and being held down. You will have to hold her on your lap. but once it was over...thats it!...it was over. A hasrsh 10 mins. to go through though. It will all end up okay.

Hi, Don't worry about it, my son took it really well. I gave him a little tylenol before we went to the Dr.'s and then he cryied when they took the blood and then he was fine about 2 minutes later, I wasn't but he was great I couldn't believe how calm he was. It's worse on the parent then the child.

The test is probably for lead and a complete blood count. I had to bring two daughters through the process...one cried from the minute they tied her arm and the other cried once everything was over. the hardest part is that you have to hold them while they are getting their blood drawn. Good luck!!

Don't worry all there going to do is take some blood from the tip of her finger. Its like getting your sugar tested. on your finger only difference is there going to squeeze very little blood from her finger. dont worry there will be no big needles or iv's.

My daughter didn't have to have blood drawn, but she had the finger prick right at the pediatricians office. They were able to get a complete blood count just from that. But if they are looking for more than a CBC then maybe that is why they are drawing the blood.

It should be no different from the immunizations she has had to date. Treat this visit the same as the others. Nothing traumatic, it's over quickly.

The 1-year blood test is standard. They test for lead content and anemia, among other things.

It was pretty rough bringing my daughter in. We had two technicians holding her arms, I was holding her around the waist, and the phlebotomist couldn't find a vein at first. Shots don't usually bother either of us very much, but the blood drawing was pretty traumatic.

I knew she didn't have anemia, and was 99% sure she didn't have lead contamination either so I actually thought about not doing it.

yea. its not a big deal. you'll hold her still while they draw blood. It takes a 2 minutes tops. She'll be moody but surprise her with her favorite lunch afterwards or something. A trip to the park will make her forget all about it.

M.-
This is all the norm. Just hold on tight! It hurts you more then her I promise. Take it from a mom who cries everytime we get a shot. She will be fine and won't remember it by the time you leave the office. Good Luck! D.

O.K. sorry to tell you this, but your in for alot of crying..
What I did was I held my son on my lap wrapped my leg around him and held his arm still. Your in for a rough round but trust me the crying is going to br harder on you. And it will only last about 3 minutes....

N.