Okay, the biggest problem I am finding with this one is that most sites ask audiologist how damaging concerts can be. See, that’s sort of like asking a dentist it brushing is important. Someone who specializes in hearing is going to be pretty partial to avoiding loud noises. I’m sure not all of them are hyper focused on silence, but the ones that are writing for pregnancy sites sure are. A couple of them even started lending their opinion on the importance of stress hormones that music can supposedly release and providing the best environment for a developing baby. I’m thinking these guys should stick to ears and have a tall cool glass of shut the hell up.
As for the actual possibility of damaging your kid’s hearing because you like thrash bands? Well, by 22 weeks, your baby’s inner ear is fully formed, but it’s in amniotic fluid, so everything is muffled. Sort of like when you’re swimming underwater and can’t quite hear someone screaming, “someone shit in the pool!”
Now as for prolonged and repeated exposure to very loud noise like a full shift in an industrial workplace where the sound level is more than 90 or 100 decibels (about the same as standing next to a chainsaw or listening to me try to sing along to Heart in the car), this raises the chances of your baby suffering some hearing loss. It can also increase the risk of premature delivery and low-birth-weight – probably because the baby wants to get the hell out of there and hang somewhere quiet.
Anything over 150 or 155 decibels can cause similar problems for the baby, although your eardrums rupture around 160 decibels so you may have decided that it’s best that you get off the aircraft carrier with the military jet take-off long before your baby’s hearing is damaged.
What about guns?
Many of you have also asked me about firing guns. Of course, I’m assuming that you’re firing recklessly in the air screaming “yahoo” or killing someone as a hired assassin. Those being the two most likely scenarios.
Guns seem to be in 150 db range, so they are pretty loud (no kidding, right?) so it’s probably not wise to shoot them repeatedly and by repeatedly, I mean continuously for 8 hours every day which isn’t likely. So I’m sure you’re fine – shotgun, handgun, paintball gun – because even though it’s a loud noise, you’d have to subject your baby to it repeatedly to do damage. Just don’t get shot.
As for concert going, it doesn’t sound like you can do much damage to your child’s hearing unless you’re standing in front of a giant speaker deafening yourself. I said, IT DOESN’T SOUND LIKE YOU’LL DO MUCH DAMAGE UNLESS YOU STAND IN FRONT OF THE SPEAKER!! Oh, nevermind ; )
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