Deaf Baby Girl Hears Mom’s Voice for the First Time: 'She’s Just the Best'

In a profoundly heartwarming video capturing a myriad of precious emotions, a mother was seen sharing a special moment with her few-weeks-old baby girl who heard her voice for the first time after being fitted with a hearing aid.

Christina and Andrew Pacala became parents for the first time when they welcomed their daughter, Riley, in October 2020. Not long after her birth, the couple discovered their baby girl was deaf after undergoing a few tests with an audiologist.

Soon afterward, the Pacalas said they turned to the deaf community as a resource, and when Riley was five and a half weeks old, they had her fitted with a listening device. Moreover, Christina began sharing her sweet girl's journey online, which gave her a chance to raise awareness and garner support.

Having Access to Resources

While documenting her own experience as a first-time parent navigating deafness, Christina said she was fortunate to live in a place with an accessible deaf community. She noted that the best advice people gave her right from the beginning was to provide Riley and her family with direct access to useful resources.

According to Christina, nearly 87% of hearing parents of deaf or hard-of-hearing children never learn sign language, significantly impacting their family relationships.

In addition to having their daughter fitted with a hearing aid and sending her to a deaf nursery school where deaf teachers taught children, the Pacalas signed up for American Sign Language classes. While learning ASL, Christina said she and her husband began seeing deaf instructors as their mentors.

Sharing the Special Moment

To mark her daughter's first birthday, Christina turned to Tiktok and shared a 39-second clip of the moment Riley heard her voice for the first time. The mom-of-one explained that she debated for some time whether or not to post the video of her baby girl. She added:

"Hearing aids are not some magical 'fix' for deaf people. Deaf people don't need to be fixed. They're just a tool to access sound."

The Overwhelming Response

Christina said she was delighted by the outpour of love and support her TikTok video garnered from netizens far and wide. As of November 17, 2022, the viral clip has over one million views. About the overwhelming response she received, Christina said:

"This was a really special moment for our family. You think about things like, will my daughter ever hear my voice. And, you know, at the time, that was ... a scary thing as a hearing person who doesn't know anything about deafness and about deaf culture."

"Deaf Kids Rock"

Little Riley continues to thrive, and her mom often shares glimpses of her adorable little girl online. The doting mom described her daughter in these words:

"We nicknamed her Smiley Riley. She's curious; she's energetic; she's full of life. She's just the best. She's a happy girl."

According to Christina, nearly 87% of hearing parents of deaf or hard-of-hearing children never learn sign language, significantly impacting their family relationships. She said she hoped to raise her voice and gather enough support to improve the statistics, making deaf children feel more included.

Christina has been sharing her daughter's journey on social media using hashtags such as #deafkidsrock and #deafawareness. "Deaf kids do rock. A lot of us as parents of deaf children just are trying to make people realize that there is nothing deaf children can't do," she stated.

A Smart & Cheerful Girl

The TikTok mother revealed that she and her husband love celebrating their daughter's memorable moments, including when she started walking and their family learning ASL together. She said her little princess is an intelligent and lively kid who enjoys playing with dolls and blocks, listening to music, and singing bedtime stories with her dad.

"We're excited to be able to share our journey and hope to help people understand that deaf kids can do absolutely anything," shared Christina. While navigating her life as Riley's mom, Christina explained that she has been fortunate to find ample ways of expressing her love and feelings for her daughter.

The Online Support

Baby Riley's story has racked up thousands of views on numerous social media platforms, with many netizens sharing appreciation and praise for her loving parents. Let's take a look at a few of these comments:

"I don't know what is more precious than this."

— (@carmen.taveras.10) November 11, 2021

"Precious moments for both, baby and parents (sic)."

— (@milu.ribeiro.5) November 11, 2021

"What a face when he hears' this is so undescribable (sic)!"

— (@grace.padovanicancel.39) November 22, 2021

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