{"id":309,"date":"2020-06-15T16:09:03","date_gmt":"2020-06-15T21:09:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/redriverent.fm1.dev\/pediatrics\/newborn-hearing-loss\/"},"modified":"2021-08-18T10:39:55","modified_gmt":"2021-08-18T15:39:55","slug":"newborn-hearing-loss","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/redriverent.com\/pediatrics\/newborn-hearing-loss\/","title":{"rendered":"Newborn Hearing Loss"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n

Hearing loss is the most common birth defect, with two to three out of one thousand babies born with a hearing impairment. It\u2019s important to catch this early, as hearing plays a crucial role in a child\u2019s social and emotional development, and is key to their speech and language skills. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Diagnosing Hearing Loss<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Most hospitals screen a newborn\u2019s hearing shortly after birth. Up to 10 percent of infants<\/a> do not pass the initial hearing test, but this is often the result of movement and crying during the exam, or a buildup of fluid or vernix (the waxy, white protective coating that babies are born with) in the ears. Follow-up testing<\/a> can confirm whether your baby truly has a hearing loss. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

While most babies are born with normal hearing, there are some who do have a hearing loss at birth, or develop one early in childhood. Risk factors include: <\/p>\n\n\n\n