A family has shared the beautiful moment their baby was able to hear his mom’s voice clearly for the first time after having his first hearing aid fitted.
Five-month-old Bowen Toto immediately beamed back a smile as he heard mom Cori speaking – causing Cori to shed a little tear at the adorable reaction.
After birth, Bowen was diagnosed with bilateral bone conduction hearing loss, as well as a cleft palate and a heart condition.
As a result of Bowen’s hearing loss, doctors at MUSC Pediatric Audiology in Charleston, South Carolina, decided he needed to be fitted for hearing aids.
Doctors told Cori that the first moments could go one of two ways: joyous laughter or confused tears.
Fortunately for the Totos, it was the former, with Cori’s husband capturing the sweet moment between mother and son on video.
The youngster will also be learning American Sign Language, Cori said, as he can’t always have his bone-anchored hearing aid (BAHA) switched on.
She added: “I felt like I laughed, cried, and smiled along with him – I felt like our bond got stronger knowing that he loved hearing my voice.
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“My heart was so full that day and I will never forget those little laughs.
“I was anticipating that it wasn’t going to go well, but when we got the full spectrum of emotions, it was a lot more than I expected.
“I hope this video just brings a smile to every person who sees it.
“I’m thankful for the access to technology that allows Bowen to hear and receive as much spoken language as possible.”