Baby Gets Fitted For His Very First Hearing Device, And His Precious Reaction Is Lighting Up The Internet
A man shared a video of a baby being fitted for his first hearing aid and being able to hear his parents' voices for the first time.
Because of the baby's sweet reaction, the baby's first adventure with hearing sounds to go viral for the second time since 2014.
In the original video, we first see the hands of an audiologist, fitting the seven-week-old baby, named Lochlan, with a hearing aid. The baby cries at first, which audiologist deems as normal, since wearing the device can be uncomfortable and takes some getting used to.
But almost immediately, as a result of hearing the audiologist explaining this, and hearing his parents' reactions to the hearing aid, Lochlan visibly pauses and processes the new stimuli.
Then, somewhat hesitantly at first, the baby smiles, probably realizing this is what his parents sound like.
You can watch the video here:
The video is an extremely sweet moment of a baby's totally wholesome reaction to what surely felt to him like a whole new world.
And the internet clearly was not upset to see this sweet content reemerge.
@buitengebieden_ I'm not crying, I just have something in my eye 😭 https://t.co/CFhbrBSBEf— Grizzly's Lab (@Grizzly's Lab) 1582182807
@RexChapman @thenehaabalodhi Wow , this is really cool. His faces were precious. He went from being angry that some… https://t.co/7is7Z5kTia— Judd Davis Conspiracy Analyst (@Judd Davis Conspiracy Analyst) 1582221476
@RexChapman https://t.co/4WP8DqLuCh— CA_Rider 🇺🇸 🇨🇦🌊🏳️🌈 (@CA_Rider 🇺🇸 🇨🇦🌊🏳️🌈) 1582219004
But February 20 was not the first time we were able to see this special moment, as it actually premiered back in 2014. While the video from this year has nearly 8,000 retweets, it had over 26,000 retweets back in 2014.
When it went viral that year, shortly after the baby had actually been fitted with his hearing aid, BBC News and other media streams contacted his parents for comment.
You can watch the BBC News coverage here:
It's a heartwarming video to watch, as these parents have clearly found comfort in being able to provide a special tool for their child. They acknowledged the possibility of using sign language with their child but clearly preferred the use of hearing aids.
Lochlan was previously diagnosed with a severe hearing impairment in both ears, which not only meant he would not be able to perceive sound, but he was also extremely unlikely to be able to develop his speaking skills without some form of intervention.
Lochlan's parents, Michelle and Toby, shared their feelings surrounding that first moment of witnessing their son hearing sound with BBC News.
Michelle said:
"We were completely overwhelmed and so emotional when the hearing aids were turned on. We were crying from happiness. Our baby not only smiled for the first time but more importantly, he heard, and his whole world just opened up."
Toby added:
"His future changed. Being able to hear, the opportunities in life now have grown a lot more. We chose to go the hearing way. There's other parents who choose more sign language, but we thought Lochlan would have better opportunity in life to be in the hearing world."
Though some may disagree with Michelle and Toby's assessment of being successful or not via hearing aids or sign language, surely everyone can agree that Lochlan's reaction in the video is adorable.