Emily reflects on learning she was going to have a little girl living with hearing loss to getting Bella cochlear implants. While the pandemic has been a challenge for their family, Emily loves to watch Bella enjoy the direct streaming capabilities of her daughter’s Nucleus® 7 Sound Processors:
“Bella was born in March of 2019. My husband and I were informed that Bella failed her hearing test the day she was born. We were immediately concerned because our oldest child was also born with hearing loss. Throughout my pregnancy with Bella, we didn’t really think about the possibility of Bella being deaf because our middle child is hearing. Eventually we received confirmation that Bella was in fact deaf.
My husband and I knew what to expect: multiple appointments, setting up therapies, procedures, MRIs and then hearing aids that weren’t promising, but part of the process to obtain cochlear implants. There were tears from all ends (my husband, Bella and myself). We experienced many emotions as we were fully aware of what we had to face together as a family as we watched her grow and bloom into a beautiful girl living with hearing loss.
An easy decision for Bella’s cochlear implants
Although we knew what was to come, we knew that technology is constantly progressing. Much has changed from the time that our oldest received his first sound processors, which were the Nucleus 5 Sound Processors. We were blessed to have the opportunity to upgrade his devices to the latest Nucleus 7 Sound Processors. Knowing how much our son loved his new devices made it easy for us to decide on what we believed would be the best fit for Bella.
Choosing Cochlear and the Nucleus 7 Sound Processors was an easy decision for us to make. We were also given the opportunity to choose a second device because Bella has bilateral hearing loss. We chose the Kanso® Sound Processors for her since she is young. It’s much easier to keep them on her head with her tiny ears. The Nucleus 7 Sound Processors do have a sports band that helps keep the sound processors off the ears. With a growing baby, it’s great that we have these options.
Witnessing Bella hear for the first time
Bella received her sound processors shortly before her first birthday1. It was so wonderful to witness her hear for the first time. Initially when she heard my voice, she was so shy! She later laughed and smiled at the sounds coming out of them. We love the flexibility that the Nucleus 7 Sound Processor has, especially the Apple®23 capabilities!
It’s been somewhat challenging to maneuver our household with COVID-19 and quarantine. Speech therapy visits are now conducted remotely. Thankfully, we have the opportunity to arrange her therapy sessions through her iPad®. Bella watches her favorite developmental videos and they all stream directly into her sound processors**. It’s an amazing feature that we fully utilize, especially now during the pandemic.
Bella learning to hear
We recently were gifted a kitchen playset for Bella’s bedroom. It is so amazing for playtime and therapy. We interact and communicate the most during play time. Although she is still in the early stages of her speech therapy, Bella has been implanted for 10 months and we see great results. She repeats sound patterns, Ling Six sounds, speaks words such as ‘hi’ and ‘mama’ and also dances immediately when she hears music.
My future goals are limitless for Ms. Bella. She is bright and ready for anything that comes her way. Cochlear has helped turn a disability into a normalcy in our household. My husband and I are beyond grateful. Bella loves to hear all the sounds she receives through her sound processors and has so many abilities available to her at her fingertips. We love her cochlear implants and are impressed and proud of her progress so far.”
Bella, a little girl with hearing loss, is now progressing with her cochlear implants. If you are looking for a solution for your child, learn more here.
- The cochlear implant system is intended for use in children 9 to 24 months of age who have bilateral profound sensorineural deafness and demonstrate limited benefit from appropriate binaural hearing aids.
- Apple and iPad are trademarks of Apple Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries.
- For information on sound processor and app compatibility, visit www.cochlear.com/compatibility
