Bummed...

I get updates from Babycenter.com once a week. One week, I also got the "is it safe during pregnancy?" update and was reading through it. A lot I already knew the answers to...but I was surprised that there was a question of "Is it safe to go to a rock concert while pregnant?" Considering Tito and I have plans to go to Bon Jovi in February, this peaked my interest. On Babycenter, basically the two "experts" interviewed said that they didn't know if there would be issues but they recommended against it.

I have two very good friends who are audiologists, so I emailed them and asked if it would be safe, that the concert was probably only about 2-3 hours and it was the only thing like this that we'd be going to. Also that our seats were on the side of the stage, so not right on at the front with the speakers blaring towards us and the seats are also nosebleed-ish. I thought maybe if I put a jacket over my belly it would be fine. My concern from reading on Babycenter was that they said that with low frequency sounds (like those of a bass guitar) that the amniotic fluid actually amplifies the sound for the baby in the uterus. (High frequency sounds like singing, talking, or lead guitars are actually dampened by the amniotic fluid.)

So I got a response this morning:

Hey Kate,

I am the worse corresponder on the planet - however, I can't procrastinate on an audiology question. As for the concert...what you read is true and you only need 2 hours of exposure at 95dB to cause some damage..or I should say potential damage. Even though we know the sound levels, there are limited studies of one time noise exposure causing harm to the baby...the studies are more likely targeted for women in factory type settings. So scientifically, it is possible but, rare...but as a friend...my thoughts are that this doubt means no. If Santiago (that IS his really cool name right?) had a hearing loss you would never forgive yourself for two hours of fun. Send Tito with a friend and go get yourself a pedicure!

Oh no - I sound more like your Mom than I do an Audiologist!

Take care!
Love,
Amy

Considering that the sound equivalent of 95db is that between heavy traffic and a subway system, and knowing that a Bon Jovi concert will be MUCH louder than that, I think (and Tito agrees) that it's a chance we don't want to take.

Tito and I talked and we both feel it's similar to the argument of drinking one glass of wine every once in awhile during pregnancy...they don't actually know how much alcohol can cause damage, and maybe there is a point of which the one drink you have will be "too much." So who's to say the drinks I had when I didn't know I was pregnant were "just enough" and the one I'd have now would put me over the edge and cause him brain damage. Same with the concert...it most likely wouldn't cause any issue, but, why take that chance. I want to do everything I can to give him every advantage in the world from the get go...and I don't want to wonder if he was born with some sort of hearing loss and I had gone to the concert if it had been from that. They'd probably never be able to link the two, but I just don't want to take that chance.

Needless to say I'm bummed. Hopefully one of our friends can go with him instead though. Our plan was to do our Baby Care 101 class together that day, then check into a hotel and then go to the concert together, then get dinner and spend the night in Seattle, as a "last night away" before the baby. Sort of a mini-mini-mini-babymoon, since I'm banned from flying and we can't travel outside of this area, for fear I'd go into labor and be away from my doc (his orders!) So I think we'll still do the hotel, dinner, etc. and Tito will go to the concert, have a great time, then come back to meet me in the hotel. It just sucks since I would have enjoyed the concert too...but I'll have Tito take lots of photos for me and maybe some video so I can enjoy it...and probably will get a pedi or something while he's doing that.

Just something you'd never think would be an issue, huh? :)