Baby failed hearing screening

FZupicich

Hi everyone!

 

Our daughter failed her hearing screening at the hospital (she is 5 weeks old now) and has to have it redone.  Anyone have this happen to them.. I am very nervous about this.  She was a C-Section baby and may have had fluid in her inner ear.  Is this common? should I be very concerned?

Thanks!! 

 

akrog12

they repeated dd's hearing test several times after she was born via c section. I was told its normal, but every baby is different.

StarJay

I was a vaginal delivery, but LO didnt pass his hearing screenimg either. The audiologist who did it again at 3 wks says its common; normally due to either too much liquid/debris in the canal whivh will clear up later or b/c of background noise at the hospital when the test was administered. 

LO did finally pass at 3 wks, but not by much, so we'll be going back after 3 months to make sure the debris in his ear canals has cleared up. I'm not concerned though, he jumps at sounds all the time, even ones that aren't too loud.

fluffybuns

When the nurse explained it to me, it seemed that it was fairly common for a newborn to fail their hearing screening. Depending on when it's done can make a difference too. If they do it too soon and the baby's ears having cleared out yet or something like that. 

I hope you get good news and are worried for nothing! Good luck 

AliandJimmy

DS failed his hearing test on the 2nd day in the hospital.  The audiologist we had was horrible, she just dropped DS off said that he failed and walked off.  I spent most of the rest of the day crying because I didn't want anything to be wrong.  He ended up passing the next day so everything was alright.  I think he just had fluid in the ear.

fragglefan

DS failed his first test too but it was because I was so sick and kept waking him up with my coughing.  So he went back to get retested and the nurse told us that 95% of babies that fail the first time pass the second time   He passed the second one, I'm sure you will too!

calm_angel_2003

ds failed the hearing test 4 times at the hospital and then we went back and he passed. they told us it was fluid

TreblEM

We failed in the hospital multiple times. We went to an audiologist a couple weeks later for a follow-up and passed (despite the incompetent audiologist forgetting to put electrode goo on the first time and thinking the computer was messed up). Our Pedi didn't seem concerned at all at our first couple visits that he hadn't passed in the hospital...pretty common it seems. But--I freaked out too ;-)

PartiallySunny

My LO failed in his right ear and the pedi said it was probably fliud and is fairly common. He said its very rare a child is born deaf. LO had the test redone a couple weeks later and passed. I'm sure everything will work out fine. GL

P.S. We had a vaginal delivery, so I don't think it matter how LOs are born. They can still have fluid retention in their ears.

kristennd

LO failed the initial screening and then passed the second one. They told us that was pretty common.

But in the meantime, we got two letters and a phone call from the state and city human services departments about programs for hearing issues, etc. The hospitals should really wait on submitting results to those agencies until the second test, I think. One social worker was really pushy about setting up a home visit, etc. 

daisy889

FZupicich:

Hi everyone!

 

Our daughter failed her hearing screening at the hospital (she is 5 weeks old now) and has to have it redone.  Anyone have this happen to them.. I am very nervous about this.  She was a C-Section baby and may have had fluid in her inner ear.  Is this common? should I be very concerned?

Thanks!! 

 

I also had a c-section she failed, they did it a few days later and she passed.

daisy889

FZupicich:

Hi everyone!

 

Our daughter failed her hearing screening at the hospital (she is 5 weeks old now) and has to have it redone.  Anyone have this happen to them.. I am very nervous about this.  She was a C-Section baby and may have had fluid in her inner ear.  Is this common? should I be very concerned?

Thanks!! 

 

I also had a c-section she failed, they did it a few days later and she passed.

supamami

As a med student  I worked for 3 years in audiology with our newborn and NICU departments.  It is very common for babies to fail an initial hearing screen - and more common for babies who were born via C-section.  Also, did your baby fail in both ears or just one ear?  It's very common to only fail in one ear at birth.

During a vaginal delivery, babies naturally have many fluids and vernix (the whitish, thick, waxy-like substance that covers baby's skin in utero) somewhat squeezed out as they are pushed out of the birth canal.  Babies born via C-section tend to keep fluids and vernix in various nooks and crannies of their bodies for longer days.  Honestly, when I would have babies on my rotation for a hearing test the day after birth, and I saw that they were born via C-section, I actually skipped the hearing test until the day the baby was scheduled to leave the hospital, and that always reduced my re-test rates. 

Most babies who do need to be re-tested after leaving the hospital will pass because enough time has passed (and baby has had a chance to eat quite a bit, which the sucking motion helps clean out the fluid/vernix out of the ear canal or middle ear area).  

However, please remember, if your baby still does not pass a screen, and a more intensive hearing test is requested, that does not mean your baby is deaf.  There are many different levels of hearing loss, and the earlier it is detected, the better.  Even the slightest of hearing loss may be detected as a fail on a hearing test, and no matter what the outcome is, there are such amazing forms of habilitation for babies and children.

My own son failed his newborn hearing test in one ear, and failed again at his follow-up and at the more intensive testing done at 3 months.  However, he simply has only a high-frequency hearing loss in one ear (pretty uncommon, although we have a family history of hearing loss).  

No parent wants to hear or fret that something may be wrong, but just know that this is normal, and if anything is conclusive, you have MANY options and TONS of support out there!  Best wishes, momma!! 

darmca

We left the hospital about 14 hours after LO was born and he failed the screening. We were told it rarely works on babies under 24 hours old because of the fluid in their ears. We re-did it yesterday and LO passed (no shock to me as I am sure he hears the dogs bark).

parker33

Yes, DS failed his hospital test in the hospital and retook it two weeks later and it was perfectly normal!

shellindcwife

Like most of the PPs, E failed his hearing screen at the hospital too (c/s baby). The next day he was retested and passed. Same issue as posted above, fluid in the ear.

 

nowayamyrae

DS also failed at the hospital but passed at the peds at 4 days old.

lotus68

Thank you for this very informative and well balanced post!  The way you write shows that you are a kind, compassionate, even-headed person! We need more like you in the medical profession!

smilelari

Yet another poster whose baby failed the initial hearing screening.  She passed the follow up with flying colors.  Chances are you have nothing to worry about.