September is Newborn Screening Awareness Month! Throughout the month of September, Baby's First Test will be sharing newborn screening facts, videos and stories through our Facebook, Twitter and Instagram channels as well as highlighting education and awareness efforts from communities and organizations across the nation.

Whether your mission for September is to learn more about newborn screening or to share your experience with newborn screening, we hope our materials and resources are useful to you in your awareness efforts.

To help amplify your voice, we encourage you to use #NBS17 when sharing or creating posts, and #myNBSstory when sharing your family’s story or personal experience with newborn screening. Last year, newborn screening related posts made over two million impressions during the month of September. This year, we hope to add to this success by reaching even more communities and families from across the United States!

How to Share Your Story: #myNBSstory

During the month of September, Baby’s First Test will be collecting stories and photos from families and individuals about their personal experiences with newborn screening. These stories will be collected throughout the month through social media (#myNBSstory) and email (jackie@babysfirsttest.org) to create a curated book of newborn screening stories and facts. This book will be used as part of Baby’s First Test’s outreach efforts to raise awareness about newborn screening among expecting families, healthcare professionals, policymakers, and communities across the nation. We hope you will help spread the word, or encourage individuals and families to share their stories in September!  

Interested in sharing your story, or interested in helping to collect stories? Follow the steps below, or share the following photo:  

#NBS17 Social Media Toolkit

To download a PDF of the social media toolkit, click here.

SAMPLE TWEETS/FACEBOOK POSTS FOR #MYNBSSTORY Copy the text, or personalize it; all tweets translated in Spanish below

• September is #newbornscreening awareness month! NBS is important because it gave my child a healthy start! #myNBSstory

• Sept es el mes de la conciencia de las pruebas de detección en recién nacidos! Importan pq brindaron a mi hijo un comienzo sano #myNBSstory

• My child is 1 of 12,000 newborns each year who is given a 2nd chance because of #newbornscreening! #myNBSstory

• Mi hijo es 1 de los 12,000 recién nacidos cada año a quien las pruebas de detección le dieron 2da oportunidad #newbornscreening #myNBSstory

• I am part of the #newbornscreening community because I (insert reason, activity or profession)! I'm proud to help babies have healthy lives. #myNBSstory

• ¡Soy parte de la comunidad de las prueba de detección porque yo (introduce motivo, actividad o profesión)! Soy orgulloso/a de ayudar a que los bebés tengan vidas saludables #myNBSstory

SAMPLE TWEETS/FACEBOOK POSTS FOR ORGANIZATIONS Copy the text, or personalize it; all tweets translated in Spanish below

• Not every state screens for the same #newbornscreening conditions. Find out what your state screens for: http://bit.ly/2wBrxAw #NBS17

• No son iguales las pruebas en todos los estados. Averigua qué condiciones se buscan detectar en tu estado: http://bit.ly/2wo0lSN  #NBS17

• Nearly 4 million babies receive #newbornscreening each year in the US. http://bit.ly/2iuOJdE #NBS17

• Casi 4 millones de bebés se someten a las pruebas de detección al año en los EEUU. http://bit.ly/2g9BaiQ #NBS17

• Share your #newbornscreening story for NBS Awareness Month using #myNBSstory #NBS17

• Comparte tu historia #newbornscreening para el Mes de la Conciencia de las Pruebas de Detección en Recién Nacidos con #myNBSstory #NBS17

• Each year, over 12,000 babies are born with one of the conditions included in state #NBS panels: http://bit.ly/2va6qVC  #NBS17

• Cada año nacen más de 12000 bebés con una de las condiciones en la lista de pruebas de detección del estado: http://bit.ly/2g9BaiQ #NBS17

• More than 1 in 300 newborns have a treatable condition detected through #newbornscreening: http://bit.ly/2va6qVC  #NBS17

• Más de 1 de cada 300 bebés nace con una condición tratable que se detecta mediante las pruebas de detección: http://bit.ly/2g9BaiQ #NBS17

• Most states screen for 29 out of 34 recommended #newbornscreening conditions: http://bit.ly/2wJd6tv #NBS17

• En la mayoría de estados, se hacen pruebas para detectar 29 de las 34 condiciones recomendadas: http://bit.ly/2wo0lSN #NBS17

• Why think about #newbornscreening during pregnancy? Learn more here: http://bit.ly/2xfLWrT #NBS17

• ¿Por qué pensar en las pruebas de detección durante el embarazo? Aprende más aquí: http://bit.ly/2ws1aN6 #NBS17

• 1-3 of every 1,000 babies are born w/ some degree of #hearingloss. To learn more about hearing loss: http://bit.ly/2vjiRdN  #NBS17

• 1 a 3 de cada 1000 bebés nacen con cierto grado de #pérdidaauditiva. Aprende más sobre la pérdida auditiva: http://bit.ly/2vrLLwG #NBS17

TWITTER CHAT  Mark your calendars for September 21^st at 2pm EDT

Join Our Thunderclap

Thunderclap is a crowd-sourcing platform that allows a single message to be mass-shared so it rises above the noise of your social networks. This means that your reach can extend beyond your existing network, exposing your message to a broader community (and helping to raise awareness!). Want to help share our Thunderclap message?

Follow these steps:

• Go to this link and sign up: http://thndr.me/BxXezJ
• Share this link: http://thndr.me/BxXezJ

On Thursday, September 28^th at 12pm (EDT), Thunderclap will post the following message on your Twitter and/or Facebook feeds:

“Each year, 12,000 babies with serious but treatable conditions grow up healthy, thanks to #newbornscreening #NBS17 http://thndr.me/5z61IM”

Educational Resources to Share

• What to Expect From Your Baby’s First Test Video
• What to Expect Infographic
• What to Expect Infographic (Spanish)
• Prenatal and Newborn Screening Brochure
• Prenatal and Newborn Screening Brochure (Spanish)
• A Parent’s Guide to Newborn Screening

For more resources, visit Baby’s First Test’s Education and Resource Center.

Upcoming Webinars

How States & Family Advocates Work Together, Thursday, September 21st at 12PM EDT

Join Baby's First Test on Thursday, September 21st at 12pm EDT for a webinar on how newborn screening programs can effectively collaborate with and support family advocates. During the webinar, Amy Gaviglio, MS, CGC from the Minnesota Department of Health will discuss Minnesota's experience supporting family advocates, and Shanna Quimby will share her family's advocacy journey.

To register, click here.

Awareness Month Activities from Our Partners

How are you raising awareness about newborn screening? To let others know what you are doing throughout the month, email jackie@babysfirsttest.org.