Day 91...Thursday Nov. 12th

Since I've been talking about the baby's sight after being born, I figured I should touch base on hearing as well. I have honestly never really thought much about a baby's hearing other than to watch out and make sure they are responding to audible stimuli. But other than that...that's about it. So again, here is an interesting article about baby's hearing. By the way, a lot of my information comes from family.go.com. I love that website. But there are lots of great ones out there! It's always great to cross-reference any info you get on the web too! So research, research...to whoever is out there possibly reading my blogs.

"Right after birth, your baby's hearing may be slightly muffled due to the amniotic fluid that may still fill part of either ear tubes. This fluid should quickly drain out. Because she's been listening to your voice in utero all these months, your voice will be familiar to her. To her delight, she'll now be able to hear you loud and clear. The familiarity of your voice is reassuring to her and will become even more so as she learns that you're the one who feeds, changes, and comforts her.

You'll notice your infant begin to turn her head in the direction of a voice or sound that interests her. She'll also quickly learn to distinguish a familiar voice from a stranger's.

At between 4 and 7 months, she might delight in hearing the dog bark or listening to a sibling sing her a song. She'll also startle (or cry) from a loud sound. At around the same time, she also learns to distinguish moods in your voice, and can tell when you?re angry, calm, or happy.

If, by 7 months, your baby isn't babbling (trying to imitate your voice in some way by using repetitive consonant sounds, like ba-ba-ba, ma-ma-ma) bring it up with your pediatrician. Three out of every 1,000 infants is born with some hearing loss.

While the National Institutes of Health now recommends all newborns be routinely screened for hearing loss before they leave the hospital, things can be missed or develop later on. In some cases, hearing loss is temporary and due to an ear infection or wax buildup. In other instances, it's due to nerve damage, which is permanent. Since hearing impairment of any kind can severely hinder language development and social skills, it's critical that the condition be diagnosed as early as possible."-- http://family.go.com/parentpedia

Testing, one, two, three...can you hear me Pickle?...