What is a Guthrie heel-prick test?

Around 2–3 days after birth, a hospital midwife (or midwife in your home) will prick your newborn’s heel and squeeze out a little blood onto a blotting paper-like card. This newborn screening is done to test for about 20 rare metabolic disorders (such as cystic fibrosis), some of which if undiagnosed can result in permanent severe retardation, but if discovered very early are usually manageable.