Deaf Infant Hears Mother Tell Her ‘I Love You’ For The First Time And Is Overcome With Emotion

Jul 08, 2022

A beautiful baby girl gets to experience her Mommy say "I love you" for the first time. Now for most, it happens naturally. For a baby who is deaf, it is a breakthrough. Little Charly's parents had to deal with the fact that their wonderful little daughter was born with impaired hearing. After the help of a specialist and modern technology, their daughter was able to hear her parents' voices for the first time.

Baby Charly's parents grew concerned when their little girl didn't respond to noises or vocal cues. The concerned parents took her to the doctor and requested a hearing test. The results showed that Charly was hearing-impaired. She would need to start wearing a hearing aid immediately. A hearing specialist molded a hearing aid specifically for Charly's ear. Once they turned it on, they had no idea she was going to have such a profound reaction.

Children born with no hearing impairment get immersed in language from the moment they arrive in the world. As people speak, these non-impaired children start to pick up that certain sounds have meaning.

Children born with hearing loss don't get this type of immersive experience as infants. They have difficulty developing language skills. That's why most doctors recommend that infants with hearing loss be fitted with hearing aids as quickly as possible. 

The sooner an infant gets fitted with hearing aids, the sooner they start developing those critical language skills. Charly's parents made it a priority to get her fitted immediately. 

Waiting any longer would hinder Charly's development. The hope was that the hearing aid would give the baby girl an avenue into the world of sound. Because she was so young, however, they didn't know how well things would go. 

They were in for an amazing surprise. As soon as the hearing aid went on, Charly's face transformed. She got to hear her mother's voice for the first time, bringing her to tears. As she heard more and more, the expressions on her face showed her emotions. 

In an interview with Good Housekeeping in 2017, Charly's mom Christy Keane said after speaking to Charly with her hearing aids on, they both experienced something new. "I had never in my life seen that face before," she said. 

"I'm her mother, and I know the look in her eyes when she's sad, upset or hurting, and that connection, and that moment when our eyes met and she heard my voice for the first time, that was true emotion from her," she added.

Of course, Charly cannot verbalize her feelings at a young age. But, everyone in the room could tell she started crying when she heard her mother for the first time. It's going to take time for this baby girl to learn to talk and develop her listening skills.

But, the world is now her playground. Charly's world opened up as she made that critical connection with her mom. Technology can truly do wondrous things. Her parents posted a video on social media and were shocked to see the wonderful response. "I was not expecting such a large response to the post," Charly's mom shared. "I thought, 'Oh, what's the harm? I'll make it public,'" she said. "And then, I think I woke up the next day with a thousand shares and by Monday it had hit a million."

What did you think of Charly's reaction to this brand-new world of sound? Let us know and give your friends and family the chance to see it for themselves.