The laughter and smile of a baby is an incredible thing to witness, especially if it’s their first time experiencing something. These babies are special in the fact that they receive devices to help them experience life in a whole new way. According to the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders, about two to three out of 1,000 children are born with a detectable level of hearing loss in one or both ears and more than 90 percent of deaf children are born to hearing parents.
New technology allows for babies to hear and see when they couldn’t before. Cochlear implants, an electronic device that partially restores hearing, allows for these moments between the parents and their children. The specialized glasses, designed to fit the babies heads perfectly and snuggly, a bit like goggles, allows for the babies to see without the glasses being uncomfortable or falling off of their faces.
When these babies can understand and hear or see for the first time, their faces light up in reaction to the world becoming alive around them. Sometimes people take for granted the small things, but these babies remind us of the simple joys of connecting to the world around us through our senses.
The kids open their eyes wide, make funny faces, smile at their families and give their mom and dads the biggest sign of happiness that they can see.
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