What are the causes why your baby may lose his hearing?
According to data provided by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, hearing loss can affect between 1 and 4 children per 1000 births. A number significant enough to take extreme precautions against any signs we observe during the early stages of our children’s lives.
From the 7th month of pregnancy, the ear of the fetus should already be practically formed. Although it is still considered an immature ear even after birth, most frequencies are received normally. However, there are cases in which this is not the case.
How much is our baby considered to have lost hearing?
According to the WHO, “a person suffers a hearing loss when they are not able to hear as well as a person whose sense of hearing is normal.” That is when the 25 decibels of hearing are not reached.
In the case of children, at any sign, we must immediately go to the specialist to carry out the corresponding analysis. Here are the main hearing causes that can lead to hearing loss.
Causes of hearing loss
Prenatal period
- Genetic factors: In many cases, when a hearing loss is suffered in the prenatal period it is a consequence of an inherited hearing loss. So it is necessary to evaluate each specific case to know the scope.
- Intrauterine infections: Intrauterine infections, such as rubella and cytomegalovirus infection are another major reason.
Perinatal period
- Perinatal asphyxia: That is, the lack of oxygen at the time of the match.
- Hyperbilirubinemia
- Low birth weight: It can have a direct impact on hearing health at birth.
Childhood and adolescence
- Chronic otitis
- Presence of fluid in the ear
- Meningitis and other infections that are common during the first years of life
How to detect a hearing loss in our baby
As parents, it is important that we observe our children and pay attention to any signs that may cause an alteration in their behavior. From the moment it is born, and during the first three months of life, any noise should be able to surprise the child. In some cases, even wakes you up in the mildest phases of sleep. If we do not observe this feeling of surprise, it is possible that our child is having hearing problems.
Up to six months of age, sound is one of its main sources of distraction. This is why many toys recommended for this age rely on sound stimuli to help the child develop. Once eight months have been reached, the baby should already be capable of reproducing, with some resemblance, some sounds. A sign that there is no problem in terms of hearing.
When the child reaches a year and a half or two years later, the number of words that dominates is increasingly wide. In some cases, it allows you to chain two words in a row. If you follow this trajectory, being flexible when analyzing it, the development of our little one’s ear canal is completely normal. If we observe that the child does not respond to auditory stimuli or does not improve in his ability to communicate, it is possible that he is presenting some warning sign that needs to be paid attention to immediately.
Hearing loss, also known as hearing loss, can be a major problem in the baby’s development. Paying attention to each warning sign, and immediately going to the specialist, will allow us to know the depth of the problem and solve all possible issues in this regard.
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