As stated earlier, noise may affect the development of the child within the womb. It is not known whether the cause is the mother’s stress elicited by the noise that harms the child or the drugs the mother takes so that she can get a good night’s sleep in spite of the surrounding noise. That the Hospital for Sick children (Adkins, 1998) instituted quiet times, with radios turned off or tuned to soft music and certain therapies not scheduled, indicates the awareness of members of the medical profession that young children require silent periods.