Can My Baby Hear? Newborn Hearing Screening

Approximately three babies in every 1000 in US have some degree of hearing loss (a decreased ability to hear sounds in one or both ears) means totally deaf or hard-of-hearing, whereas half of them are caused by genetic disorder. Hearing loss may be mild to profound, temporary or permanent which makes difficult to hear different sounds that is very essential in learning to talk for baby.

It can affect a child’s potential to develop speech, language, and social skills. Therefore, at the very early stage (better just after birth), hearing loss should be screened for every child.

Following two simple screening tests are done for the newly born babies:

• Otoacoustin emissions (OAE) tests can show whether parts of the ear respond properly to sound. During this test, a tiny probe (sponge earphone i.e.) is placed just inside the baby’s ear canal. The ear is stimulated with sound, and the “echo” is measured. The echo is found in most people who hear normally. If there is no echo, it may indicate a hearing loss, or some medical reasons exist for no response. In either case, follow-up with an audiologist is strongly recommended.
• Auditory brain stem response (ABR) tests check how the brain stem (the part of the nerve carrying sound from ear to brain) and the brain respond to sound. During this test, clicks or tones are played through soft earphones into the baby’s ears. If your child is more than 6 months of age, a mild sedative may be given to help keep your child calm and quiet during the test. This test measures how the hearing nerve responds to sounds and can identify babies who have a hearing loss.

Tests are normally done in the Hospitals or Birth Centers by nurses, technicians, and audiologists. The outcomes of hearing tests can be either PASS or REFER. In case of PASS, baby’s hearing is normal at that time. If risk factors (such as parental concern, family history of hearing loss etc.) exist follow-up screening treatment is recommended.

The REFER result leads to further testing or special care for baby as recommended by the physician. If REFER result is confirmed then baby will be scheduled for strong diagnostic hearing evaluation. Some hearing losses are medically correctable, but most are permanent. If hearing loss is suspected and confirmed, audiologist prescribes to use of hearing devices and other communication options by 6 months of age

Tips on Caring For Your Newborn Baby

Bringing home the newborn from the hospital is a big step. This will be the first time that the parents will take care of the baby full time and without any medical personnel on hand. Some parents might find this step daunting. Preparing the things that the baby will need beforehand might help to ease the panic that new parents face regarding the first say of full time parenting.

Enough Supplies

The parents have to make sure that when they bring their newborn baby home that they always have enough supplies of things such as wet wipes and diapers. It will not be good to realize in the middle of the night that you ran out of diapers.

First aid kits must also be complete and on hand in case of emergencies. It is also important to keep basic medicine on hand in case the newborn gets sick in the middle of the night.

Check the Quality

Parents should also make sure that the things the baby will use are safe and will not cause any harm. Cribs should not have any loose screws or parts as well as sharp edges. It will also have to be stable so that it will not collapse once the baby is in the crib.

Toys and other materials that will be put in the cribs like stuff toys must be made with hypo allergenic materials so that the baby will not develop illness such as asthma and allergies.

If the parents decide to bottle feed the baby, they have to make sure that they choose a formula that will not hinder the baby’s development or cause harm to the baby health.

Keep Everything Clean

A baby’s immune system is not as developed as an adult’s. The parents have to make sure that everything that the baby will use is clean and sterile. This is to ensure that they will not cause the baby to get sick.

For example, baby bottles must be cleaned properly because there might be germs left that will cause illness connected with the digestive tract such as diarrhea. Another example is if the bed sheets or blankets are not properly washed, it will cause rashes or allergies.

Baby-proofing the House

Parents should also make sure to keep anything small and dangerous out of reach. Babies have the tendency to reach for things and put it in their mouths. If the item is small enough, the baby might accidentally swallow it which in turn will result to choking.

Things that might break easily should also be secured. Items such as fragile glass figurines might break if the baby gets hold of it. This will result to the baby being cut in the hands.

January is Birth Defects Prevention Month

Birth defects can arise from many causes. Some are biological and others are results of some events that take place during the mother’s pregnancy. The birth defects that come from biological sources are the ones that are harder to prevent as they are results of some problems in the development of the genes.

The other type, however, is the one that can be avoided if the parents will choose it to be.

Activities during Pregnancy that can cause Birth Defects

Taking in medication while pregnant can affect the baby’s health while in the uterus. This will affect the baby’s development which may in turn result to a birth defect. This is because some medicine may contain components that harmful to the baby’s development, like stop the proper development of the lungs for example.

In this example, if the lungs will not develop properly, it will cause respiratory related problems and sometimes heart related problems as well. Therefore it is better to not take any medication unless your doctor certifies that it will not harm your baby.

Other activities include smoking, over indulgence to alcohol and using drugs for the same reason stated above. These materials contain components that will harm the baby’s health while in the womb. For this, it is important for expectant mothers to stay away from these activities while they are pregnant.

How to Prevent Birth Defects

Knowledge is the key to prevention. It is important to make the public aware what certain activities that will harm their baby’s health. There are many ways that concerned people can spread what they have to say. Because of today’s technology advancement, it is easier for them to reach far, far places.

People can post information about this in forums or hold general assemblies so that they spread the world to make people more aware that situations like this could be prevented. If the public knows what happens if they continue a certain habit while they are pregnant, they might be more willing to stop the habits that they have even if it’s only for the duration of the pregnancy.

Knowledge can also be gained by consulting with medical professionals so it is beneficial for both the mother and child to have check-ups on the duration of the pregnancy to keep track of the baby’s health. This will also help them detect problems early on while it can still be cured.

How to Have Your Newborn Baby Sleep All Night

All new parents would want their babies to sleep through the night because this will mean that parents will get enough rest too.

One of the things that parents don’t look forward to when they have a baby is the dreaded two o’clock feedings. This will mean that those nights of complete rest is over for the parents.

Reasons why babies wake up in the night

One reason why a newborn baby will wake up in the night crying is because he might have trouble digesting the last batch of milk that he drank before sleeping.

Like an adult, a newborn baby will also wake up in the night if he is somewhat uncomfortable; the only difference is that a baby will also wake his parents up.

A wet diaper is also another reason because it also results to discomfort. Lastly, the reason that a baby will wake up is that he doesn’t follow a regular schedule so he may think that it’s play time in the middle of the night.

Things to do so that your newborn baby will sleep through the night

If parents would want a full night’s sleep, they can try the following tips so that their baby will sleep through the night:

1. First, for the problem of the milk and stomach disagreement, parents can give the baby the type of milk that his digestive system will not have trouble with. Parents can try either the mother’s breast milk or formula milk in order to find the correct milk for the baby.
2. Second, for the discomfort, parents can make sure that the place the baby sleeps (the crib) is comfortable enough to encourage a long sleep.
3. Third, regarding the diaper problem, parents will have to make sure that the diaper the baby is wearing is clean before he sleeps. This will prevent him from waking up in the middle of the night crying because of a soaked diaper.
4. Lastly, the parents can encourage the baby to follow a schedule which will help the newborn in distinguishing playtime from sleep time.

Other things that parents should remember

Learn to distinguish the baby’s cries. There are cries that will mean that the baby is hungry or wet. What the parents need to know that sometimes babies cry just for attention so be careful not to go rushing to your baby every time he cries because this will just teach him that you will come running if he cries even though he doesn’t really need anything.

Another thing to remember is that you should have patience. Training your baby to sleep through the night will not happen overnight. So you should stop just because you failed on the first try.

Newborn Umbilical Cord Care

The umbilical cord connects the mother to her child as that child grows within her. This is how the food that the baby needs passes from the mother to child. This cord is cut once the baby is born because it won’t be needed anymore. There will be a bit of the cord that will remain attach to the child which will need to be cared for.

What the parents of newborn needs to remember regarding the care of their newborn’s umbilical cord is that they have to prevent it from getting infected. Infection of the umbilical cord can cause major problems for the child. The following tips might be helpful for parents so that they can avoid having the cord infected.

Keep the cord clean

Keeping the cord clean will prevent it from getting infected. Some parents may use alcohol to clean this but medical professionals would advise to just leave it alone because the alcohol might cause harm to the baby’s skin.

Keep the cord dry

A moist and humid is not an ideal environment for the healing cord. This is because bacteria can grow in the area which will cause an infection. Keeping the cord in the open air will help it dry out faster.

Don’t give the baby a bath

If the baby is immersed in water before the cord falls off, the stump will become an area where bacteria might grow which can cause an infection. Giving the baby sponge bath until it falls off is the advisable method of keeping the newborn baby clean for the time being.

Let it fall on its own

Pulling the cord out before it is ready to fall causes more harm. It might cause an injury which might also lead to infection. This action might also cause excessive bleeding if the cord has not properly dried out. So it is better to just leave the cord to fall off on its own.

What to do if the area is infected

If the area becomes infected, it is wise to contact your doctor immediately. The doctor will be able to tell you how it can be cured. It is also important for the parents to call the doctor as soon as they notice that something is wrong with the area like foul smell or the area is red and swollen because a delay might lead to bigger problems.

Practical Guide to Choosing Newborn Apparel

As a parent that’s expecting a newborn after a short period of time, planning in advance is important since it will enable you get everything that your baby will require on arrival.

Choosing the best newborn apparel can be tricky especially when you are a first time parent. However, you need not worry.This simple guide will enable you choose your newborns apparel in a very practical and effective manner!

It’s worth the effort looking at the baby room and ensures that it’s very safe. There are some things that can pose great danger to your baby hence its important that you remove them from the room.

Ensure that the room is well painted and its dry since wet paint is very dangerous.Get rid of items that can be swallowed by your baby and replace them with others that cannot cause any harm to your baby.

When your baby finally arrives, you will expect to have him or her covered pretty well. You have to buy right clothes and apparels that can provide your baby with the right amount of warmth.

Choose as many varieties of clothes as possible since this will make it easy for you to change when the rest are wet. You have to get the right type of clothes for the right occasions.

You have to purchase adequate clothing for night wear, day time wear and also those that can be worn during extreme weather conditions such as winter. You will also need to factor into other items such as strollers that will enable you move from one place to another with ease!

There are many varieties of newborn apparel and you have to choose what suits your baby. You have to work as per your budget and get the right baby care products that will guarantee you value for your money. You can get the right type of color and fabric that you would like your baby to use. There are many different brands that you can choose from and you should use your imagination to get the best products for your baby at all times.

When buying the right fabric for your newborn baby considers the right ones that will help offer higher level of comfort. There are various types that are comfy hence can help make your newborn as comfortable as possible.

Comfortable and comfy furniture & strollers make it possible for your baby to sit for longer periods without complaining as a result of discomfort hence offering you the chance to do other things. It’s also imperative that you choose the right type of stroller that has huge carriage space to cater for your baby’s needs while on a picnic.

You have to think well about your newborns furniture and other related baby care products. It will be good if you can differentiate them as per the sex of your baby. Baby boys prefer certain varieties of furniture and toys. The ones for baby girls are different. Although there are neutral apparels that can cater for the needs of either sex, it’s important that you make the right choice.

Choosing the Best Newborn Gift Sets Regarding a Newborn Baby Child

Baby presents are an absolutely perfect way to welcome a newborn into the new environment. Infants with their real nice smiles have ability to soften the hearts of everyone. They are a source of joy not only to the parent but also to friends and relatives alike.

There are several items which are available in the market that can make wonderful gifts for the newborns. On normal grounds, the gifts can range from very important baby products such as children diapers, toys or clothes. You can also choose from any other things that you believe can make a great present to the newborn!

Of the various types of items that are on offer as new baby gift, it’s imperative to buy those which the baby can make use of. A young baby may not make use of certain advanced products hence its good if you can make them simple.

Some of the gift products may be children songs recorded on a CD which can be of great help when the child cries. They can help sooth any crying child to sleep. A variety of infant presents are a great delight to the parents of these children. These baby care products can be of immense help especially for the first time parents.

When buying baby care products as gifts for new born babies, it’s not good to just carry presents for the baby alone. You can also factor into some other gifts for the parents. For instance, you can carry cards, food stuffs or just about anything! They will definitely be happy to receive them and this will go a long way in strengthening your relationship with them.

You can even include baby care items such as blankets, baby strollers, changing tables and a variety of other things that you can choose from. Just in case you would like to have electronic gadgets such as computers, customizing it to carry a theme that’s relevant to a new baby will make it attractive.

You have to be sensitive about the sex of new baby while selecting new presents since some newborn gifts are more suitable for baby girls while others can do well for baby boys.

When choosing the right items for the newborn baby, items which are rose colored are closely related to baby girls and blue baby care products tend to be associated with newborn boys. Although a higher percentage of the people do not follow this tradition, it will make a huge difference if you try it. However; there are a variety of other color pigments that you can select from.

It’s imperative that you stick to baby gift items that are attractive not only in color but also in design. Trendy designs are more appreciated than the traditional ones. You may require help of an expert to choose the best new born gift set at any particular time.

If you have a busy schedule, you can opt to buy these newborn baby gifts online. There are many stores online where you can shop for the best baby gifts. With this type of shopping, you can get whatever you want without getting away from home.

Newborn health screening

New born health screening is relatively new, so don’t panic if you haven’t heard about it before, or you can find no relevant topics on it in a baby care manual that is more than a few years old.

Depending on the country in which you reside, new born health screening is becoming common practice, and simply involves a pin prick in the heel of baby when she is around 48 hours old. These few drops of blood will be sent off for analysis. The test will cause no distress to baby, it is just a tiny pin prick in the heel to draw of a few tiny droplets of blood.

With advances in technology every day in all walks of life, has come around this new innovative screening method. From these droplets of blood, the blood specialist will be able to ascertain any metabolic or endocrine disorders, as well as special disorders such as galactosemia and hypothyroidism, galactosemia being the intolerance to milk in the new born, hypothyroidism being the under activity of the thyroid gland, the thyroid affecting our metabolism as well as the proper functioning and well being of the whole body. A sufferer of hypothyroidism will often be over weight and be constantly tired, as their metabolism is functioning too slowly.

When the screening is done, results are not given straight away or in the next few days. It depends on the policy of the hospital or baby care center where your baby was born what method they use for giving you the test results. In some hospitals, we are told that we will only hear from the laboratory or doctor if an abnormality has been found, others, which is a preferred method send out a standard letter to all parents to ensure then that no abnormalities have been found, and getting in contact with parents of baby’s where some abnormality has been found, in order to carry out further tests.

No baby care specialist is against this procedure as it is harmless to baby, and will detect abnormalities that other wise would not be detected till later stages of life, and therefore optimizing the health of the infant from his first days of life.

So do not be alarmed when you baby is around two days old and the paediatrician takes baby away telling you that he will perform the hell prick test on your baby. It is not because he or she thinks that there is anything wrong with your baby. It is just an advance in technology and a preventative measure that alleviates health problems with many infants in later life.

So stay calm in the knowledge that new born health screening is now a regular part of baby care in almost all hospitals, and that it is painless for baby, and will leave you assured that your baby is in perfect health, or at the worst, detecting abnormalities such as hypothyroidism that can be corrected by the correct use of medication.

Manage your Baby routine

Every baby is different, same as every mother has the right to follow her instincts as to how she wishes to bring up her new born. Some mothers will follow their baby care manual word for word, only ending in stressful situations as their baby is not on schedule, or not exactly the right weight, or height, or isn’t talking or walking when it says they should etc.

One subject of many baby care debate is whether or not you should follow a strict routine with your new born, when talking both about feeding as well as daily routine. Some mothers stick to a strict feeding routine, feeding baby every three hours, regardless of if they cry or have to be woken for their feed, other mothers feed on demand.

What is considered important from an early age is getting your baby into a routine where she is aware of day and night time, and then she will progress quickly to sleeping longer at night and napping in the day.

So how do we achieve this routine and what are the baby care guidelines? As early as two weeks, make sure that your new born is put to sleep at night in a dark place, and for his afternoon and morning nap. Make the room comfortable and quiet and the correct temperature for baby, as he himself is unable to control body temperature by sweating as well as an adult, at birth the only sweat glands to be fully developed are those of the head and feet.

Be interactive with your baby in the morning, chat to him as you feed him, and keep him active until it is morning nap time. Then place him in his crib for his morning nap. He may cry, when left alone, but within two or three days the crying will be dramatically reduced until baby is happy to be left alone and will fall asleep. Many baby care manuals as well as your paediatrician will advise against the use of pacifiers, as they only create dependence, having no medical advantages whatsoever.

If you are trying to get your new born into a routine, again, after lunch time feed, put baby in a quiet dark room to sleep, this establishing from birth that darkness means sleep time and daytime is for play time and fun.

A good bedtime routine really is also essential if you hope to have your baby sleeping well at night from an early age. A warm bath, followed by a bedtime feed in a relaxed and quiet environment, then placing baby in his crib to sleep. When baby wakes during the night, gently lift him from his crib, and feed him by your side, with a small night lamp if you prefer. When you finish feeding, place him back to sleep in his cot.

When following such a routine, your new born will adopt good sleeping patterns from a very early age. What is important is that once you have baby settled in a routine with regular feeding and napping, to try, unless absolutely necessary, not to break the routine. If baby’s nap time in the afternoon is 2pm, then make this the time everyday. If you have to leave the house and baby is used to her nap in her crib, just one day of an irregular routine can result in the undoing of much hard work.

A Preemie’s First Year

A preemie or premature is a child born after less than 37 weeks of gestation. They require extra care especially when they are very young.
Although it is not a hard and fast rule for every preemie that they are at higher risk for growth, nutrition and developmental problems, and they need close monitoring for at least the first year.  From the very beginning parents of premature infant are more attentive watch them anxiously for signs of progress than a parent of full term baby. They are very worried in baby’s growth, nutrition and development.

For a preemies doctors use the same growth charts for preemies as they do for babies born on or near their regular due date. As long as your baby is growing as expected parents find no cause for alarm. Every parent waits eagerly for when a baby touches the milestones.
Obviously, a child was born two months prematurely he should be about two months behind schedule. Preemies are more easily effect by respiratory infection including both Claudia and Caleb were rehospitalized for a virus within a month after homecoming.

Parents should be well informed about premature baby especially the signs of respiratory distress and seek medical attention when needed.  Respiratory distress includes an increased rate of breathing; difficulty breathing, wheezing, retractions chest or rib area caves in when breathing a change in color from pink to gray, or a blue tone around the lips inability to sleep and or drink or eat.

Not in the beginning but later suffer from a number of diseases. Parents should be bewaring of his speech and pronunciation and their progress or lack of. Many of the premature babies have a speech problem later and they attend speech therapy a few times a week and was tested from one to three times per year.
Some preemies face terrible teeth problems jaws weren’t completely developed when she or he was born. So they need extensive work done on her teeth, including plates and braces.

As the body is not fully developed before birth so some have a tiny stomach they eat less and up after every hour with hunger. Well, they are always under wait so may have a vision problem ended up wearing bifocals to correct the vision problem. So the checkup of a premature baby is must twice a year to consider the physical and mental development because psychological and social factors in addition to assessment of the child’s developmental progress.