Scientific research

Today Louka made her first contribution to scientific research. The National Acoustic Laboratories are conducting a study on hearing in babies, aimed at predicting how hearing loss might affect how clearly a baby can hear. For a baseline, they need data on how a baby with normal hearing hears. Since Louka was tested at the hospital and found to have normal hearing, I volunteered her for this research.

This involved sticking three sensors on her head: on her forehead, behind her ear and on top of her head; and playing sounds through an earphone. It also meant she had to sit still, quiet and alert while all this was going on, a challenge I hadn't quite anticipated. I had to interrupt a breastfeed to get there on time, so she was hungry and ready for a nap when we arrived. I gave her a feed and she fell asleep for half an hour or so, then she was in a good mood for the actual measurements. However, they went on for some time and she became harder and harder to keep happy. When the data from the right ear were collected, we decided to call it a day and come back another time for the left ear. (They also want to see Louka again when she's three years old.)

Since Louka still has a cold, which can cause blocked eardrums, they also performed a test for this by blowing a puff of air into each ear and checking that the eardrum moves freely. Both Louka's ears were fine.