Moving Video Shows Baby Lachlan’s Smile After Hearing For First Time [Video]
Baby Lachlan was given a hearing aid for the first time when he was just seven weeks old. Luckily, a video captured his first moments of hearing.
His reaction was priceless.
The video, posted on August 31 but taken two years ago, has started to go viral on the Internet and now has over a million views and 5000 likes. It’s easy to understand why; the baby’s mixed reaction, what appears to be confusion giving way to happiness, is touching.
As the authors explain, baby Lachlan was diagnosed with moderate to severe hearing loss, affecting both of his ears. The baby is now two years old, and doing well.
The video serves as more than just a way to make people smile. It will hopefully serve to spread awareness of hearing problems for infants, which can go unnoticed for years, and reassure parents that there are solutions out there.
According to the baby Lachlan’s mother, Michelle Lever,
“I thought Lachlan would not be able to talk, make friends and I was worried he would get teased. I now know that whilst those thoughts were completely normal, they are not true.”
But those fears were never realized as baby Lachlan actually spoke his first word at the age of just 6 months old, and he is meeting every milestone in a toddler’s development.
Ms. Lever explains,
“I am so happy that we can share our magic moment with the world, I hope it can give some other families the realisation everything is going to be okay.”
According to the American Speech-Language Hearing Association, approximately 3 in every 1000 babies are born with some form of hearing loss, making it one of the most common birth defects in the U.S. Early intervention and treatment, like what Baby Lachlan received, are crucial for a child’s early development. Although hearing screening for newborns is standard in the U.S., nearly half do not receive adequate treatment when diagnosed with a hearing problem.
Hopefully this video will share the joy that comes from when a baby hears with proper treatment.
