“Of course my baby hears,” you might think. “He wakes up each time I drop something.” That’s what I thought when the doctor suggested I have his hearing checked.

 

Doubtful though I was, I was grateful that someone had finally taken me seriously. For two months I’d been noticing that he had not yet begun to babble. No dada. No mama. No bababababa. All my friends infants had been cooing and experimenting with sound. And as a linguist, I’d studied childhood speech development in graduate school and was eagerly awaiting my chance to experience the process first hand.

 

Most of the doctors I spoke to, at least three others, shrugged off my concerns and said he just wasn’t ready yet. They pointed to his slightly premature birth. They said I was over eager.

 

I knew there was something wrong. But a hearing problem?

 

And in fact it was.

 

Step 1: Get A Hearing Test

In most places you can get a free hearing test through the public education system, even for infants and toddlers who are not yet enrolled in school. If your doctor can’t help you locate a hearing specialist, call the front desk at the elementary school.

 

Our tester, Pam, was fabulous. She had some “talking pumpkins” that beeped in different registers and at different volumes, and she evaluated my son’s ability to hear based, in part, on whether or not he looked at the pumpkin when it “talked.” He was rewarded with a flickering light.

 

In addition to testing his threshold hearing level in decibels, she tested the air pressure in his ears. The resulting tympanogram, an upside-down V of a chart, showed that my son had poor middle ear mobility and was hearing the world as if he were underwater. I imagine I must have sounded to him something like the teacher in the “Peanuts” cartoons, “Blah blah blah blah blah blah.”

 

Step 2: Research Your Options

Our next visit was to the ENT, an ear nose throat specialist, who confirmed Pam’s findings. We had several options. We could try to treat him through diet—often the fluid build up in the ears is related to a food allergy, perhaps to wheat or dairy. This often takes at least a month to clear up. The other option was surgery—tympanostomy, better known as tubes in the ears.

 

I was in a near panic by this point. I knew he was missing age-specific markers with his speech, and I didn’t want him to be behind. Pam had told me horror stories about children who aren’t diagnosed with hearing problems until they start kindergarten, and by then they require intensive speech therapy to get them back on track.

 

Another reason for us to consider the surgery: my son’s chronic ear infections. In six months, he had been on four courses of antibiotics. And nothing seemed to work … at least not for long.

 

I, myself, am reluctant to take antibiotics. I use mostly herbal and homeopathic remedies for my own health, and had thought that I would do the same for my son. And I am wary of surgeries, too. Despite the fact that the ear tube surgery is one of the most frequently performed operations in the United States, there are still multiple risks, and the waver the parents sign mentions every worst case scenario. Still, Dr. Greene (at drgreeene.com) suggests that the procedure is “probably safer than driving to the hospital for surgery.”

 

Though I longed to try the diet route, we opted for the surgery. I wanted my son to hear. I wanted it now.

 

Step Three: The Ear Tube Procedure

The procedure, though it requires anesthesia, is simple. A tiny pressure equalization tube with a collar on both ends is slipped through a tiny incision in the eardrum. This provides a temporary, extra Eustachian tube. The tube looks something like this: ][.

 

Since fluid is removed upon placement, hearing is immediately restored. The tubes fall out on their own (most of the time) within 8 to 18 months.

 

Within a week, my son was babbling. Not only that, he was clearly happier. He had spent much of his first 9 months crying, diagnosed as colic. I cringe to think that he had been in pain that long. I was relieved that he seemed relieved.

 

At age three and a half, Finn is remarkably articulate. Just tonight, he said to me, “Mommy, I have a splendid idea. Let’s go outside and watch for deer.” And I understood every word perfectly clear.

 

My girlfriend’s son was not so lucky. He wasn’t diagnosed until age 1 ½. At age three, he has just begun to say Mama.

 

After getting the tubes, in an attempt to prevent future problems, I did have my son tested for dairy and wheat allergies. Sure enough. Dairy was a problem, and for the last year we’ve removed it from his diet.

 

Additional Resources:

I don’t regret the surgery. For parents who are considering it, I recommend a visit to http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/ear-infection-treatments/EI00013.

 

For parents who are facing recurrent ear infections, I recommend http://www.askdrsears.com/html/8/T081600.asp.

 

And for parents who want a less invasive treatment, see your homeopath for suggestions on drops, altering diet, ear massage and other natural remedies.