failed hearing test in both ears:(

[mummy2004and2013]

Hi all, so as someof you know I had my son at 29+3 weighing 670g on 22nd oct '13.

So today he had a hearing test and failed on both ears :(

he is just over two months old and he was due 4th jan so he is about 6 days adjusted.

I just don't know what to think because surely he shouldnt have any fluid after 2 months or anything? He is still in nicu and on oxygen and was told that that could be a possibility. Just so upset atm I dont know..

So sorry to hear that. I am sure it must be a terrible shock to hear your baby may have a hearing problem. Unfortunately some of the drugs they give to premature babies to bring on the lungs are oto-toxic and the hearing can sometimes be affected but without them the baby would not survive so a definite lesser of two evils.

I am a teacher of the deaf and can tell you there is loads of help and support for parents of HI children. If it appears that the hearing loss is certain the hospital should refer you to a local teacher of the deaf who will be able to give you some advice as to your future options with regard to hearing aids and language development.

Also have a look on the NDCS website- they have a very good family support network and should be able to put you in touch with a local support group.

Try not to panic- I am sure it must feel very scary to find out your child might have a hearing problem but the technology out there to help deaf children is amazing these days.

My ds2 failed his hearing test twice, passed third time round with a different test.

I wasn't worried as I sang to him and he stopped feeding and stared at me, he could obviously hear me and recognised the song as I'd sung it when I was PG.

Please don't worry, there can be a few different reasons they fail the test, and as another poster says if he does have hearing loss there is a lot of help and support for you and him.

((((Hugs))) for you, you must have had such a hard time, I hope all goes well for you and DS x

My ds has a moderate hearing loss picked up at birth, but not fully diagnosed till about 8 months old because the results kept fluctuating (not premature). He wears hearing aids (ears) and has radio aids at school, which are a bit like a personal walkie talkie from the teacher to him :). His language is actually ahead of his hearing peers now due to the radio aids, he has loads of friends and we have a great teacher of the deaf! It is a shock to hear that your child may have a hearing problem, but the technology is wonderful and their is loads of support. The NDCS is also on Facebook. There are a lot of us about, you are not alone.

Premature babies often fail hearing tests, they should have told you that when they tested your son. If the baby is upset and crying, that can also be a reason they fail.

One of my twins also failed her hearing test (6 weeks premature) and passed on the second test. The second test takes 2 hours and they use electrodes on their heads to measure brain activity to sounds.

Try not to worry until he has the second test done.

Good luck x

What kind of hearing test was it OP?

Do have a look at NDCS - their website has some really useful info on hearing tests and what the results mean.

When I had DD I was on a ward with 2 other women and babies. DD was a screamer from day one. When the hearing test lady came to test the 3 babies on the ward DD passed with flying colours. Both other babies failed and the hearing test and the lady doing the test said its very common to fail if there's a lot of background noise as it distracts them and it was highly unlikely that both of them had hearing difficulties - everyone then scowled at me and screaming DD.

I would imagine there's quite a bit of background noise in NICU.

No idea how their hearing turned out, but I know loads of babies that failed that test and have no hearing problems at all. Try not to worry on the basis of that test alone

Both my children failed their hearing tests. One has some mild hearing loss the other actually has no hearing loss.

Nearly forgot, congratulations :)

As and audiologist who has tested many babies including NICU and SCBU babies, I would say please try not to worry. Firstly it is not unusual for babies to fail their screening hearing tests when they are in special care. As others have said, background noise is a common reason, with oxygen pumps and alarms going off during testing in the room, being a problem, skewing the outcome.

Another factor is delayed maturation, it is surprising how many prem babies the applies to (despite adjusting for gestational age). They pass in the next few weeks often, with I long term issues.

Another factor as already mentioned can be the oto-toxic medications that are given as necessary in the early days. However, some recovery from these can be seen over 6 months after the drugs have been stopped. So even with this it is not always bad news.

So really you have unfortunately wait for retests and more diagnostic tests later. I hope that you will get the tests soon. I hope that I have reassured you that it might not be the case that your precious baby has a hearing loss, but even if they do as previous posters have said, there is lots of support available and your precious baby is still the same special baby they have been throughout.