Deafness among newborn: all a new parent should know

Problems may occur anytime and at any age. It doesn’t have any specific time or a specific age. Even newborn babies may have some problems and deafness can be one of them. All new parents should be aware of this. They should known each and everything about their new born baby and if they find something different immediate they should consult a good doctor. If the the problem is related to the ear then they must consult an ENT specialist in Bangalore.

Know that the newborn babies can hear well but not perfectly as everyone can. The middle ear is full of fluid thus this becomes the reason for hearing till a small extent. If you have ever noticed that the newborn babies always respond to the loud and exaggerated voices and sound.

Parents need to start worrying if they find out that the newborn baby doesn’t respond to these high-pitched sounds in the first few months.

Causes of hearing problem in the newborn babies-

  • Mother having a viral infection during her pregnancy
  • Low birth weight
  • Premature birth
  • Abnormal inner ear development
  • Infection such as the flu, chicken pox, etc

Diagnosis of hearing loss

Parents should carry out hearing tests of their baby in the first few weeks after the birth. Most of the modern maternity hospitals conduct these tests on every newborn before the baby is taken home. If a baby is diagnosed with any level of hearing loss, an audiologist i.e. an expert in hearing is consulted for further specialized tests to find out the type and degree of the hearing loss. Understanding the cause helps much more in determining the best treatment.

Treatment of hearing loss

Treatment of hearing loss is based the causes and severity of the problem.

  • Antibiotics acts as a useful medication for ear infections
  • Removal of a wax
  • Surgery, where the doctors insert tubes to take out the liquid from the ears 
  • Hearing supports help in hearing by strengthening the sounds 

The earlier the hearing loss is identified and treated, the better it for the newborn baby.  

The most important thing for your newborn baby’s development is being able to communicate.

Newborn babies with hearing issues require periodic hearing, and eye examinations.

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