“Hear the World” brings awareness to the long term consequences of hearing loss in children, the #1 congenital birth defect

It's only natural to worry a bit during your pregnancy, especially if it’s your first.  After all, this whole baby thing is new, highly unpredictable, and you just want so badly for it to go smoothly. And guess what? It usually does. Yet, despite all the precautions you still get a bad case of the worries the moment you find out you’re pregnant.  Am I eating right?  Am I getting enough sleep?  Should I exercise?  Will my baby be healthy?  Will I be a good parent? All normal, and usually forgotten once the little bundle of baby is born.

That’s baby number one.  Baby number two is different…If you were able to get past the nausea, weight gain, stretch marks, labor pains, and sleepless nights that you experienced with the first pregnancy you’ll probably be feeling pretty confident the second time around.  After all, you know what to expect, right?  And if you couple a second pregnancy with chasing after a toddler you’ll find that you don’t even have time to brush your teeth let alone obsess about the new pregnancy. 

Perhaps that is why Joey McIntyre from New Kids on the Block and his wife Barrett were shocked to learn that after an uncomplicated, easy second pregnancy their son was born profoundly deaf.  Rhys McIntyre was born December 13, 2009. While in the hospital Rhys failed a routine hearing test and follow-up tests at UCLA revealed that he had a severe hearing loss. Upon learning about her son’s diagnosis Barrett McIntyre says, “We went through a full range of emotions. As a mother you want to protect your kids. I thought, ‘How could I let this happen?’ I felt responsible.” 

Joey McIntyre felt the same way.  He says “You’re just shocked, and your stomach gets in knots.  It feels like you’re holding your breath and that feeling lasts for a few days, until you get educated. You go from, ‘Oh my God!’ and fearing that someday my son might be walking into the street and I’m calling after him and he’s not going to hear me, to ‘It’s going to be okay’ to ‘It’s going to be amazing.’ Rhys’ hearing loss is part of who he is. His life is going to be as special as [my older son’s]. There’s just work involved.” So after Rhys’ diagnosis the McIntyre family made it their mission to help educate the public about the importance of early diagnosis.

Recently Joey became a spokesman for “Hear the World” an organization that aims to bring awareness to the long term consequences of hearing loss in children. He said, “As a musician, music and the ability to hear it is the cornerstone of my life.  When my son was diagnosed I wasn't sure how to handle it. And thankfully, because of advanced hearing aid technology I don't have to worry about my son missing a beat. That is why I joined Hear the World - to educate the public about hearing loss and the solutions available to treat it.”

As for baby Rhys’ long term outlook, doctors say his condition will not get better over time, but how he processes sounds can be improved.  So the family is “being proactive about the situation.”  That means getting Rhys fitted for hearing aids in both ears when he was just a month old and signing him up for speech therapy. Ultimately the family hopes that Rhys will be eligible for a Cochlear Implant when he is older but for now the hearing aids are doing the job.  Says Joey, “You put the hearing aids in, and his little eyes just widen. He knows our voices now and he’s doing all the things he should be for a baby his age, and that’s beautiful. It’s all of the things you take for granted.”

Hearing loss is a problem that affects more than 16% of the world’s population and according to the American Academy of Pediatrics it is the number one congenital birth defect in the United States.  Everyday 33 babies are born with permanent hearing loss; 1 in 1,000 has profound hearing loss; and 3 in 1,000 have partial hearing loss.

Although hearing loss can occur at any age, a loss at birth or that develops during infancy can have serious long term consequences.  Children learn to speak by listening to others communicate so even a temporary hearing loss can affect a child’s ability to learn proper language skills or pick up warnings signs about dangerous situations. 

Parents are often the first to sense that their child has a hearing problem.  Trust your gut.  If you suspect that your child may be hard of hearing call your doctor and schedule a screening. 

Here are a few warning signs to be aware of:

• Your child isn’t startled by loud noises at one month or doesn’t turn to the source of a sound by three to four months of age.
• He doesn’t notice you until he sees you.
• He concentrates on gargling and other vibrating noises that he can feel, rather than experimenting with vowel and consonant sounds.
• He does not become quiet in response to sounds such as voices or soft music.
• He does not smile after hearing a familiar voice.
• His speech is delayed or hard to understand, or he doesn’t say single words such as “dada” or “mama” by twelve to fifteen months of age.
• He doesn’t always respond when called.
• He seems to hear some sounds but not others.  This may indicate a loss of hearing in only one ear or the inability to hear high pitched sounds.

The American Academy of Pediatrics now recommends that all newborns be screened for hearing loss before they are released from the hospital.  In fact, thirty-eight states have Early Hearing Detection Intervention programs which mandate that all newborns be screened within the first few days of life.  And the good news is that hearing problems can be treated if they're caught early - ideally by the time a baby is 3 months old.  So it's important to get your child's hearing screened early and evaluated regularly. 

Stacy Matson, a health enthusiast from Southern California, regularly blogs on Celebrity Health for A Healthier World, as well as contributing to the Best of the Best.