Amanda and Jack have a baby

Amanda and Jack are happy.
They have a baby.

The baby is a few days old.
The baby is called Megan.

Can baby Megan hear well?

Can the baby hear well?

Amanda and Jack want to know if baby Megan can hear well.

This is important. If baby Megan can hear well she will learn to talk well when she is older.

Do you want to know if your baby can hear well? 

The baby is nearly one week old

Baby Megan is now nearly one week old.
Someone from the Well Baby clinic comes to Amanda and Jack’s house.
She checks if Megan can hear well. This is called a hearing test.

Sometimes they do the hearing test at the Well Baby Clinic.

If your baby has to stay in hospital for a long time, they will do the hearing test in the hospital.

If your baby is at home, first the hearing test will be done and then the heel prick test.

Read more about this in the leaflet about the heel prick. 

How do they do the hearing test?

The baby has the hearing test while lying in your arms or in bed.
The room is very quiet. The TV and the radio are turned off.
The parents and other children stay very quiet.

The lady has a special measuring machine.
She puts an earpiece in baby Megan’s ear. It doesn’t hurt.

The earpiece plays a very gentle sound, you cannot hear it, but the baby can.
The test lasts a few minutes.
The lady looks at the measuring machine. 

The baby can hear well

The lady says that the hearing in both ears is good enough.
Amanda and Jack are happy. The hearing test has finished.
Most babies only need to have the test once.

If the test shows that there may be some hearing loss in one or both ears, then the Well Baby clinic will do the hearing test again a week later.
If that test also shows there may be some hearing loss, then someone from the Well Baby clinic will come again with a different measuring machine.
The test with this machine does not hurt either.

Even if the results of the hearing tests are not clear, it does not mean that your baby cannot hear. But it is important to have more tests. You will then go to see a specialist.
Someone from the Well Baby clinic will make an appointment.

Questions

Amanda and Jack still have questions.
They say to the lady:
“Why does the hearing test have to be done now? The baby is still so young.”
The lady says:
“If the baby cannot hear very well, then we can start to help your baby straight away. It is important. To be able to talk well, your baby has to hear well.”

They also ask: “Will our baby always be able to hear well?”
The lady answers:
“Usually yes, but parents must always be alert. If you think that something may be the matter, go to your family doctor or the Well Baby clinic.”