Newborn hearing screening - does it make sense?

[Sanne Panne]

I have a newborn hearing screening booked for next week (had a homebirth so it wasn't done as part of our postnatal discharge). My baby will be 9 weeks old then. From everything I can observe her hearing is perfect: she turns her face in the direction of the source of any interesting sound (especially voices), wakes up from 'sharp' noises, is calmed down by lullabies and white noise and so on.

Does the test still make sense? I know you should ideally follow all NHS guidelines but if normal reaction to sound is ok it may be overdoing it a bit.

Does anyone know more about this test so I can make a more educated decision? I know it's a measurement rather than a reaction based test but don't know much more about it.

[Dulwich Born And Bred]

I never bothered go for the hearing test for my son as it is pretty obvious my son can hear, plus just because you have the hearing test now does not mean that they won't suffer from hearing loss in the future, I got ill around the age of 3 I think, and it affected the nerves of my ear, so I suffered from some hearing loss despite hearing perfectly from birth onwards.

I think you will know when you baby is not hearing as she should in which case you would just ask your GP for a referral.

You do not 'have' to attend.

[Dulwich Born And Bred]

Oh and my baby was not tested for his hearing either, and I had a hospital birth.

[Sanne Panne]

HeidiHi Wrote:

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> Oh and my baby was not tested for his hearing

> either, and I had a hospital birth.

Ah I thought it was part of the routine check during the first 24-48 hours (like the BCG jab in some hospitals). Sorry for the ignorance

[EDmummy]

Can it do any harm to go? Your child's hearing will be checked again when it is older but not in such a sophisticated manner (more like the doctor standing behind him/her and whispering) so I would say there is nothing to lose by going. Just because your child is reacting "normally" does not necessarily rule out all types of hearing loss (low pitch loss etc).

[Sanne Panne]

You are obviously right EDmummy, I'm just reluctant to spend a whole morning going to Peckham and back, sitting in a waiting room with a toddler and a newborn etc etc. Very lazy because it's really not SUCH a big deal to go :-$

[Dulwich Born And Bred]

Its entirely up to you, some mums like to go to all appointments and the clinic, some don't. I have only attended my clinic once, and didn't go to the hearing appointment. I see my GP if I have any concerns.

[candj]

If it's offered I would do it even though you are probably right about her hearing being perfect. Both mine had their hearing checked in the hospital where they were born which entailed us trekking back and waiting, but it was easy enough and I was glad to know that their hearing was fine - the fact that neither child hears me now is a whole different matter!

[Pickle]

Neither of mine got their hearing checked while we were in hospital (despite being in for 2 days after the birth of #1), so I traipsed up to London Bridge with #1 when he was about 8 weeks old like a dutiful first time Mum. Once there had a 4 hour wait, finally got the test done. The woman doing it said "you do realise this test does nothing more than determine whether he can hear or not? Seems like a bit of a waste of time for you to have come here when you already know the answer to that"!

Needless to say I didn't waste my time 2nd time round. If it was a more scientific test than simply yes/no to whether they can hear I would, but within a couple of weeks it's obvious whether a baby can hear or not.

P x

[Belle]

similar experience to Pickle, and that was despite being in King's for 7 days, so traipsed up at 8 weeks or so. We didn't get one further down the line (8 mth check didn't happen) but recently had one as a routine after his grommets and all was fine. I was told at the initial hearing test that they're not always conclusive in that problems can develop over time. They also annoyingly ask you to try and make it so your baby is asleep for the test! If we could all do that on demand we'd be v happy mums/dads!

[Pickle]

Belle, I'd forgotten about the asleep part. I arrived in time for my appointment with a blissfully sleeping baby, however 4 hours later was an entirely different story. Complete nightmare (and I then ended up in the middle of rush hour trying to get home again).

[candj]

Oh I too forgot about the baby being asleep part!! Luckily we were first for our appointment, thank God.

[Sanne Panne]

If the test doesn't detect any very subtle issues that an alert mum couldn't detect over the space of 9 weeks (along the lines of a slightly reduced recognition of very low tones that can only be fixed if diagnosed before 3 months of age) I'm not going to go!

[EDmummy]

With No. 2 turned up for appointed time, waited 5 mins and had test. All in, took about 20 mins plus 10 min bus ride to Kings (special care babe so tested in that dept). Coming from a family where there has been hearing loss and also babe in special care meant I was probably more up for it. Sanne, you will make the choice best for your family. All the best.

[duchessofdulwich]

who is meant to carry out the 8month baby check? do they write to you about this?

[new mother]

Is there anything to lose? (save the nuisance value I know)

Also, nb, this test does throw up a lot of false negatives... ie it is designed so that a lot of babies "fail", and theya r ethen followed up...

[Dulwich Born And Bred]

8 months old baby check is at the clinic, you just pop in with your red book around 8 months and the health visitor check baby over, I went to my GP for my son's 8 months check though.

[Princess]

I know it's a bit of a faff but they really do have a great and efficient system at Sunshine House. They don't overbook so there's rarely anyone other then you waiting to be seen. The test itself is very simple and involves a probe being popped into baby's ear whilst you either give them boob or a bottle. They then listen to a series of 'clicks' in baby's ear.

The whole 'being asleep' thing isn't necessary. My son did the classic of sleeping all the way there on the No.12 and then woke up (and screamed) the minute we arrived.

If you do drive there are usually some empty Pay and Display areas in front of the flats in the road opposite (can't rememer road name off the top of my head) which might make life a bit easier.

Edited to add, there's a nice soft play area there too which might entertain your toddler for a bit if you do have to wait!!

[apenn]

Likewise I didn't find it a hassle at all. There was no wait, staff at Sunshine house were friendly and efficient. He wasn't asleep so he breastfed for the test and that worked after a few tries. All in all I was in and out.

Regarding the 8 month check, I didn't get anything in the post. Had make an appt with the Health Visitor of my own initiative.

-A

[katgod]

If you have not been to Sunshine House it is worth a trip I'd say. Well designed, with room for buggies etc. We got bus to the stop by the George Canning pub by the Salvation Army, walked down Grove Lane and came back via Camberwell Grove which was beautiful, checking out the lovely houses. I had never been along there before. And the hearing technician was lovely, there's a soft play area and I felt like we had had a nice day out. Never had one for the other children but was no bother at all to take the littley one along.

[Belle]

My test was somewhere near Guy's - not sure if that's Sunshine House? I know for lots of people it'd be no problem but at 8 weeks I was still in major anxiety mode so do remember being a bit stressed. Baby didn't sleep but used the dummy and was okayish. Not really advocating for or against the test here though, I feel quite ambivalent about it.

I finally got the HVs to do 8 mth check at 16 mths (had asked several times but been fobbed off, knew it wasn't a by invitation thing) - they just asked if I thought he could hear. But when we had to see an ENT surgeon for his grommets etc he asked about the 8 mth hearing test so not sure if perhaps in some boroughs there is one? Think all these things vary.

[buggie]

Think the 8mth hearing test is the old style distraction test - where a HV would sit in front of the baby silently engaging them in play and another would stand behind with a rattle and rattle it checking that the baby turned it's head. Saw this done when I was a student nurse and was completely unsurprised that it turned alot of false positive/false negative results as often the baby would become engrossed in play and ignore the rattle, or would sense someone was behind them and turn their head regardless of noise.

The otto acostic test (if I recall the naem correctly) which is now offered at approx 8wks gives far more accurate results, and, if recognising a problem with hearing allows multidisiplinary intervention/review to ensure disruption to the babies development/speech and language is minimised.

I'll have no probs in taking bubs along for this test (obv once it's born!) even if they do seem to be responding to voice, just to be sure that all is ok or if there was a problem, to enable action to be taken to minimise the long term affects it could cause.

[duchessofdulwich]

is it worth while booking up an 8 month baby check? generally my baby is very content and happy. i find it strange you have to book this yourself ifind the system very "wishy washy" sometimes. if i hadnt have looked on here iwould have never have known!?

[Sanne Panne]

duchessofdulwich Wrote:

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> is it worth while booking up an 8 month baby

> check? generally my baby is very content and

> happy. i find it strange you have to book this

> yourself ifind the system very "wishy washy"

> sometimes. if i hadnt have looked on here iwould

> have never have known!?

I know - it's in your red book but if you don't attend your HV clinic (I never went - I would see the GP for rashes, coughs etc and didn't have issues that health visitors usually address such as colic, poor weight gain etc) and you don't check your red book except to book/record vaccinations you're likely to forget about the 8 month check. I did go but if you're confident your child's development and weight are on track and the hips are ok you could theoretically skip it. Just good to go to know you've covered the milestone appointments (says a mum who's about to swap her child's hearing test for a fasttrack child passport appointment...)

[Sanne Panne]

buggie Wrote:

>

> The otto acostic test (if I recall the naem

> correctly) which is now offered at approx 8wks

> gives far more accurate results, and, if

> recognising a problem with hearing allows

> multidisiplinary intervention/review to ensure

> disruption to the babies development/speech and

> language is minimised.

Hmmm interesting, will do some more research