Newborn hearing test

How Can You Tell if Your Newborn Can Hear Properly or Not?
Babies generally start learning things from day one. One way they are able to achieve this is via hearing. If there is a hearing problem and it’s not addressed early enough, it may inhibit the little one’s speech development. Just because your baby can turn his or her head in response to varying sounds doesn’t mean that he or she can fully hear. Actually, babies with hearing loss are able to show such responses but this doesn’t mean that they can hear 100%. But, what should you do to know if your newborn cannot hear well? It’s simple – just take the newborn to have a hearing test.
The Hearing Test
Normally, a newborn who doesn’t respond to varying sounds clearly is supposed to have a hearing screening known as Auditory Brainstem Response (or ABR). The Newborn Hearing Test check for the baby’s nerve responses to different sounds. It’s able to provide correct information pertaining to the hearing level of your newborn. During the screening, small earphones are placed on the baby’s ears to pass a clicking sound. Meanwhile, three electrodes are placed directly on the baby’s forehead. They are connected to a computer. The sound played via the earphones send signals to the electrodes. The response is displayed on the computer’s screen. From the screen, the expert is able to determine the infant’s exact hearing level. If the baby suffers from hearing loss, you’ll be notified and guided accordingly.
Generally, the only sure way to tell if your newborn can hear well or not is through the ABR test. You can do it immediately following the birth of your baby or within the first few months. Before leaving the hospital with your baby, ask the doctors about the ABR.