C-Section Babies May Be More Likely to Fail First Hearing Test
TUESDAY, June 12 (HealthDay News) -- Infants delivered by
Cesarean section are three times more likely than babies
delivered vaginally to fail their first hearing test, which is
performed shortly after birth, new research from Israel finds.
However, the researchers noted that parents should be aware of
this difference, but not alarmed, because this hearing "problem"
is typically temporary. Dr. Tatiana Smolkin, a neonatal
researcher at Rambam Medical Center in Haifa, Israel, who worked
on the study, said the loss generally disappears after 72 hours.
"Fluids are retained in the middle ear," which seems to affect
neonatal hearing, she explained. U.S. experts agreed that
parents should take the information in stride. "I think the
take-home message is if you have had a C-section be prepared
there is a higher chance your baby is going to fail one of these
hearing tests, whether or not they have a hearing loss," said
Dr. Richard Rosenfeld, chair of otola