Questions

I am just curious as to why they do not make a cochlear implant that is waterproof I mean when they thought of this device didnt they think about how much little kids love the water. I get so used to my daughter wearing it that I sometimes forget she has it on and she has dropped it in the bathtub or its went in the pool and I have had to get it replaced. and when it is pouring down rain I dont let her wear it because im so afraid it will ruin it. Even if they did come up with such a device its like these kids are stuck with the processor that they were given and not allowed to upgrade.
Im curious as to others thoughts on this!

How she is doing now!

 

                                             My daughter who is now 6 years old went from not hearing anything to hearing new sounds everyday, putting sentences together, starting to read books, recognize certain sounds, gaining more knowledge, starting kindergarten, recognizing everyones voices, saying her alphabet, having more intellligent conversations with everyone, counting to 20. Not only does my child do this verbally but she also as well knows all of this in sign language. I can't tell you how much this cochlear implant has improved everything. I know I am thankful for the some of the wonderful technology that they have today. I wish the Deaf society wasn't so against these and would recognize the great benefit that they would have and a totally new world that they could be living in with the sound of hearing. I know as a young mother this was one of the hardest decisions I was faced with. But just watching my child grow everyday and seeing the smile on her face as she is growing up in the hearing world I know that I did what was best for her.

Mistaken for dumb

Have you ever noticed how many peopl think that those that cannot hear or have hearing devices they think that the are stupid?  I had never heard of such a thing until I had a child that couldnt hear and wth all the research I have done of all the things I had found on this it is sad. I just wanted to say people that cannot hear or see or have any other medical conditon arent stupid. I have found that these people are very intelligent. Many times I have found myself thinking oh my daughter doesnt understand what we are saying and guesswhat she totally does. Just because she doesnt put out all the stuff she takes in doesnt mean she cant understnd and I believe if many people would take the time and realy sit down and do some research they would understand this better. I am completely amazed at how smart my daughter is she is doing things that I never thought she would be doing this early. So if you ever run into this situation an have read my blog I hope you will have a better understanding and think before you speak :)

History

Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experience of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, ambition inspired, and success achieved.
Helen Keller

I recently had found a website that talks about the history of the Cochlear implant and thought it would be interesting to share with all of my viewers.

Eighteenth Century

Around 1790, a researcher named Volta placed metal rods in his own ears, and connected them to a circuit. This is the first known attempt at using electricity to hear. Nineteenth Century

Later around 1855, another attempt was made to stimulate the ear electronically. There were also other experiments in using electrical treatment for ear problems.

Silver Age

Thirties

In the Depression years of the thirties, researchers found that putting a current near the ear can create auditory sensations. The scientific community also learned more about how the cochlea works. An important advance was made when researchers discovered that electrical energy can be transformed into sound before reaching the inner ear.

Fifties

The year 1957 brought the first stimulation of an acoustic nerve with an electrode, by the scientists Djourno and Eyries. In that experiment, the person whose nerve was being stimulated, could hear background noise.

Sixties

Research really accelerated in the sixties. There was continued research into the electrical stimulation of the acoustic nerve. A major advance was made when researchers learned that specific auditory nerves must be stimulated with electrodes in the cochlea in order to reproduce sound. Dr. William House implanted three patients in 1961. All three found they could get some benefit from these implants. A few years later, in 1964 to 1966, an array of electrodes were placed in cochleas, with satisfactory results. Researchers learned even more about the positioning of electrodes and the results of that positioning.

Modern Times

Implant technology leaped forward in the seventies through the nineties. The seventies saw more people getting implanted, continued research, and the development of a multichannel device. By December 1984, the cochlear implant was no longer deemed experimental and was given the stamp of FDA approval for implantation into adults. Throughout the nineties, other improvements were made in speech processors and other implant technology, particularly the miniaturization of the speech processor so that it could be incorporated into a BTE hearing aid-like device.

Guest Bloggers!

Here in our Internet Marketing Class we have been asked to have some guest bloggers So I hope you enjoy the information that they provide you with :)

Happy with Preschool

Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much.
Helen Keller

My daughters experience at school at first was very unpleasant she didn't like it at all and I was very concerned and was thinking I didn't do the right thing but as the weeks went on she made friends and made use out of her hearing she absolutely loved it. Preschool has done wonders for my child she went from only saying one to two words to putting sentences together and telling me all her friends names an her teachers. I chose preschool for her because I thought it woul be great for her to have child interaction and she would pick up a lot of stuff from the other children she did and she was enrolled there from the time she was 3 until just before her sixth bday and I have seen such dramatic changes in her and was very pleased that I had chosen this for her. I would suggest it to any parents of young children because it has taught my daughter so much and made her ready for kindergarten...

Tips for your teachers for HOH/Deaf Children

• Give deaf/hoh child seat in front or near front. This one is just common sense because the deaf/hoh student needs to be able to see the teacher and blackboard (or whiteboard) clearly.
• Be careful about turning your back, because then the deaf/hoh child can not read your lips. Face a deaf/hoh student when talking to them directly.
• Talk directly to the child, not to the interpreter . It is important to do this so that the child feels like he/she is part of the class.
• To reduce the risk of a deaf/hoh child being bullied, encourage the child or child's parents to explain deafness/hearing loss to the class.
• Always write tests, quizzes, and homework assignments on the board.
• If you have a mustache and the deaf/hoh child reads lips, consider shaving it off or reducing it to a small enough size that does not hinder lipreading.
• If the class is watching a film, either make sure the film is captioned or provide the child with a copy of the script.
• Do not treat a deaf/hoh child any differently from the hearing children. That means no special treatment.
• Request the assistance of an itinerant teachers or resource teacher. They may have more suggestions and be able to provide assistance.
• If a website used in the classroom has only audio, make notes for the deaf/hoh student (suggested by a deaf college student).
• Provide an older deaf/hoh student with note takers, either peer or professional.
• Be aware of the importance of classroom acoustics, as it has an impact on how much the deaf/hoh student is able to hear.

Helpful Information on how to keep your hearing

HOW TO KEEP YOUR HEARING Did you know that… Deafness is America’s number one birth defect and leading disability? The June 6 issue of Newsweek featured a cover story on hearing loss citing startling statistics: More than 28 million Americans of all ages have some degree of hearing loss, from mild to severe, and the number is expected to soar in the coming years – reaching an astounding 78 million by 2030. Hearing loss is increasingly recognized as a public-health issue. Although the chronic din of ordinary life is higher than ever, reducing excessive noise can improve your health and quality of life, no matter your age. The Children’s Hearing Institute offers the following tips for preserving the hearing of you, your kids and your parents Protecting your hearing should be part of your lifestyle: If you suspect your child may be experiencing a developmental delay, consult a physician for a hearing screening. Hearing loss can occur at any age. The average age of diagnosis of hearing loss is close to age 3. Keep volume on iPods, televisions, stereos and radios at a reasonable level. Wear earplugs at noisy work sites and while operating power tools. Keep your distance from speakers at concerts, festivals and sporting events. Stay clear of July 4 firecrackers and skyrockets. If you have problems hearing, consult a physician to determine if you need a hearing aid or cochlear implant to prevent further hearing loss. Noise-induced hearing loss is growing among baby boomers. Of the more than 75 million Americans born between 1945 and 1964, 20.4% or 16 million suffer some degree of hearing loss. Age-related hearing loss affects 1 in 3 Americans over 65. Nearly 1 in every 2 Americans over 75 and 4 out of 5 over the age of 85 impairing communication & social skills. For further information on how to protect your hearing, visit “Wise Ears,” a public awareness campaign organized by The National Institute on Deafness and Communication Disorders, The National Institutes of Health: http://www.nidcd.nih.gov/health/hearing/wiseears.asp

Tips for choosing a preschool for your child!

Find one close to home.

Preschools that have serviced children with hearing loss in the past may be most beneficial.

Enthusiasm about having a child with hearing loss and a willingness to collaborate with a team of professionals and parents are positive characteristics.

Make sure classrooms have good acoustics. Noise and reverberation are evident in many preschools.

Bring an educator from Early Intervention or the hearing aid/cochlear implant center when visiting different preschools. This can be helpful in making an informed decision as to which program is the best match for your child.

Alphabet in sign Language!

Finally

So finally after sooo much work with my daughter trying to gett her to wear her implant she finally was wearing it. I never was so glad to see that thing on her head instead of her whipping it across the floor to even hiding it. She actually liked it now and wanted it on she wask asking for it and even fell asleep with it on. So now it was time to talk about how we could get her interacted with other children so we could speed up her language and have her signing less. So her therapists had talked about FullDayFullyear preschool So I looked into it and it was a great program So I enrolled her but we had to do a school IEP these things can get quite annoying. I haven't yet gotten into a big disagreement in doing them but that may come eventually. So after all this she was off to preschool 5 days a week all year long for 8 hours a day

What is auditory Verbal therapy?

The goal of the Auditory-Verbal practice is that children with hearing impairment can grow up in a regular learning and living environment that enables them to become independent, participating, and contributing citizens in mainstream society (Auditory-Verbal International, Inc., 1991). Auditory-Verbal therapy teaches parents how to create an auditory learning environment for their child to develop spoken language through listening during everyday natural and meaningful communication.
Auditory-Verbal Therapy is designed for the parents to participate in the child’s education. Therapy is diagnostic, with each session being an ongoing evaluation of the child’s and parent’s progress. The children learn to use their amplified hearing or their cochlear implant to listen to their own voices, the voices of others, and the sounds of their environment in order to understand spoken language. There is no set curricula per se, rather, Auditory-Verbal Therapy encourages and follows natural language and speech development. The parents and therapist encourage the child to integrate hearing, language and spontaneous speech into the child’s personality (Pollack, 1985; Estabrooks & Samson, 1992; Estabrooks, 2001). While certain language curricula might be employed, these materials are designed for children with normal hearing abilities.
The Auditory-Verbal Approach differs from the auditory-oral approach and traditional aural habilitation in that families who choose the AV approach follow a set of guiding principles to enable their child who is deaf to learn to listen and process spoken language (see principles below). Although families who participate in oral education programs or auditory-oral programs may utilize strategies and techniques of the AV approach in their practice, an Auditory-Verbal intervention program embraces all the guiding principles. The salient differences may be that traditional aural habilitation programs and auditory-oral programs may rely on therapists and teachers as models and children who are deaf and hard-of-hearing may receive instruction or therapy in groups. There are no “Auditory-Verbal” schools, in that the purpose of integration is to educate the child in the Least Restrictive Environment (LRE) with the highest expectations, and the mainstream classroom serves as the LRE for children who are deaf/hard-of-hearing.
Doreen Pollack, one of the original founders of the Auditory-Verbal approach, stated that the goal of the approach is that children who are deaf and hard-of-hearing are integrated into their community, and a typical living and learning environment is retained. She believed that everyone in this environment must believe that the child can hear, expect the child to respond appropriately, and show him or her how to communicate through spoken interactions. When an all-day listening atmosphere is created for the child, surrounded by meaningful contexts of daily activities, with children who have normal hearing and language abilities, communication becomes relevant.

Informative and fun website!

I have posted a link to where you can find information on hearing loss and play games so check it out!!!

Helpful Links!

National Foundation for the Deaf	http://www.nfd.org.nz/
Deaf Aotearoa NZ	http://www.deaf.co.nz/
NZ Audiological Society	http://www.audiology.org.nz/
Enable NZ	http://www.enable.co.nz/
Accessable	http://www.accessable.co.nz/
Ministry of Health	http://www.moh.govt.nz/
ACC	http://www.acc.co.nz/
Ear Nurse Specialist Group of NZ	http://www.ensg.co.nz/
International (see NFD site)	http://www.ata.org/ (American Tinnitus Assn)
American Speech Language Hearing Assn	http://www.asha.org/
Deafness Forum of Australia	http://www.deafnessforum.org.au/
Royal National Institute of the Deaf, UK	http://www.rnid.org.uk/
Self Help for Hard of Hearing People	http://www.shhhaust.org/

What is a Speech Language Pathologist?

Through the cen clear team my daughter had a very strong support system and this included a speech language pathologist, hearing therapist and a developmental specialist. If you curious as to what these are. I will begin by Speech Language Pathologist they are also known as speech therapist and here are many of the things that they are trained to do.

''' Communication includes speech (articulation, intonation, rate, intensity, voice, resonance, fluency), language (phonology, morphology, syntax, semantics, pragmatics), both receptive and expressive language (including reading and writing), and non-verbal communication such as facial ...
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Speech-language_pathologist

An individual with the necessary academic training and experience to be certified or licensed to diagnose and treat disorders of speech, language, and communication.
www.cleftline.org/parents/glossary_of_terms

professional that assists your child with his or her speech. This person can also help with the feeding and swallowing issues.
www.pierrerobin.org/glossary-MtoZ.htm

A speech language pathologist is a specialist in the diagnosis and non-medical treatment of speech and language disorders. An SLP obtains either a Master's or Doctoral level degree, and then completes a training fellowship prior to entering practice.
www.medel.com.ar/ENG/US/50_Resources/010_glossary.asp

a health professional trained to evaluate and treat people who have voice, speech, language, or swallowing disorders, including hearing impairment, that affect their ability to communicate.
www.chp.edu/CHP/P02036

An individual with a university degree, usually at the Masters level, who is registered with the College of Audiologists and Speech-Language Pathologists of Ontario, and is qualified to assess speech, language and voice disorders and prescribe and implement therapeutic measures.
www.oafccd.com/factshee/fact59.htm

is a professional who is trained to assist in speech production, and language skills. This may be verbal or non-verbal (pictures, computers, signs)
www.bloorview.ca/resourcecentre/communityresources/glossary.php

means a person who holds a master's degree in speech language pathology and is a member or is qualified to be a member of the Canadian Speech and Hearing Association or any provincial/territorial association affiliated with it, or in the absence of such registry, a person with comparable ...
www.cmp-cpm.forces.gc.ca/dgcb-dgras/ps/hd-sd/psh-rss/definiti-eng.asp

a specialist in the evaluation and treatment of oral-motor and oral-sensory skill development. A Pediatric SLP pays special attention to the implications for feeding, speech, and language development. Often works together with an Occupational Therapist.
faculty.olin.edu/~jcrisman/Service/KWTWebNews/Decision/commonly_used_terms.htm

is also an essential member of the cleft palate team. Children with cleft palate, while having no trouble with normal language development, can often have delayed speech development due to their mouth's unusual anatomy. ...
www.statemaster.com/encyclopedia/Cleft-lip-and-palate

Cen-Clear Child Services

Cen Clear offers many services to children and parents some of the programs they offer are
-Early Headstart
-Early Headstart/Child Welfare Services
-Head Start
-Head Start Child care Partnership
-Head Start School Collaboration Project
-Family Centers
-Full Day/ Full Year Headstart
-Parent Child Home Program
-Pre-K-Counts
-Step by Step (Early Intervention)
and many more if you are interested in getting more information and see other programs they offer you can check them out at http://www.cenclear.org/

Team Work

I was dissapointed at the appointment because I thought for sure she was going to like this and wear her cochlear but it was just a fight everyday to get her to wear it. I do remember this one day though we were working with her so hard and finally she let it on for a few minutes and her older sister looks at her and says "Im your sister Haley" it was the cutest thing ever and brought tears to my eyes because my daughet didn't know what anyones voices ever sounded like. But with the help of the early intervention program and the Hearing Therapist and Speech Language Pathologist we were all going to work together as a team to get my daughter to wear this device so she could be on her way to hearing.

Its time to hear

The wait was over, we were headed back to pittsburgh for my daughter to get her implant turned on. What an exciting day for us it was. I remember the whole family was there with cameras and video cameras just waiting to see this special moment. The time came to turn it on and guess what they had it to loud and it scared her so she didn't want to wear it. What a day! They didn't force her to but I was dissapoited I was thinking to myself. Did I make a mistake? What am I gonna do now?

How is this going to work?

If you are curious as to how this all is going to work. I have posted a video to help you understand.

Facts

Many people hear a lot of different things about a cochlear implant so I have provided you with some facts about the implants that may answer some of your questions or, you could check the website out where I got this information from because they have a lot more information on there.
http://www.hearingpocket.com/myths.shtml

Cochlear Implant Myths

Get to Know These Widely Held Beliefs So You Can Inform People of the True Facts

As parents of children with cochlear implants, we are somewhat used to the interest that our child’s cochlear implant generates. People “politely” stare at the coils on the head, some wonder silently, and others, when you inform them that it’s called a cochlear implant, respond with a blank face of total ignorance.
Occasionally, you do come across someone who thinks they know something or two about a cochlear implant. However, after speaking with them for a few moments, you may actually begin to wish that they would be of the former group. Their limited knowledge and understanding of what a cochlear implant is and how it works lends to some very basic misunderstandings that gives rise to the myths and legends that are so widespread.
Cochlear implants have had more than their fair share of myths and misconceptions since they first arrived. The source of these myths is not clear. Perhaps they are spread by those who oppose the use of cochlear implants, or they are the figment of someone’s imagination. Either way, the cochlear implant’s reputation will suffer as long as these beliefs are still widely accepted.
Here is a list of the 5 most common myths that we've encountered. It is important that cochlear implant users be knowledgeable enough to dispel these myths by properly educating those that are willing to learn the truth.


Myth # 1:"Cochlear Implants are attached to the brain."
Fact: Cochlear Implants are implanted in the inner ear (a.k.a. the cochlea) and avoid the area of the brain entirely.
Many people are led to believe that cochlear implant is a very sensitive and major surgery since it involves operating on the brain. There is also the fear that the internal component can go bad and “damage the brain” that it sits upon. All this is nonsense. The cochlear implant doesn’t go near the brain at all. The internal electrode array gets inserted into the inner ear canal or cochlea, and the receiver is placed right under the skin of the skull. The brain is not touched by any component of the cochlear implant, nor is it exposed at all during surgery.


Myth # 2:"Children with cochlear implants cannot learn to sing."
Fact: Hearing impaired children can learn music just as well as their hearing peers.
Music and song are very difficult areas for a hearing impaired person, as the sensitivities to the different keys and notes are necessary to both learn and appreciate its fine points. However, with the hard work and diligence that hearing impaired children are used to putting in, they too can be successful in this regard. Let’s not forget, Ludwig von Beethoven, the world’s most renowned musician, was profoundly deaf even as he produced widely acclaimed music!


Myth # 3:"Cochlear Implants are a cure for deafness."
Fact: Cochlear Implants make it possible for a deaf person to integrate with hearing society.
A very common misconception is that after receiving a cochlear implant, the child will become an ordinary hearing person. The fact is, auditory and language skills are only acquired with lots of hard work and training. The cochlear implant does not come close to be a replacement for natural hearing. And should the great success of the cochlear implant cause you to forget your child is deaf, there is always swimming time and bath time to remind you. 


Myth # 4: "Cochlear implant surgery will preclude the opportunity to benefit from future technology."
Fact: Cochlear implants are the best available technology to help a deaf child learn sound for the foreseeable future.
Much hype is generated about the possibility of hair-cell regeneration, and that the insertion of the electrode array into the cochlea will kill off any remaining hair cells that can be regenerated in the future. As many years have gone by without any “new technology” available, it is safe to assume that cochlear implants are the best bet for now. Any new technology, even should it become available, will require rigorous and lengthy safety testing before it is approved for use in children. During that time, your child would have been trained to speak and hear just like other kids.


Myth # 5: "Cochlear Implants are too experimental."
Fact: Cochlear implants have a well-established success record.
The concept that an implant can cause a deaf person to hear does sound like science fiction, leading people to believe that cochlear implants are experimental. Actually, cochlear implants have been approved by the FDA for use in children since 1990, and they have been used in tens of thousands of children around the world with very positive results. Before their approval, they underwent very rigorous testing, and their performance is constantly studied by experts to see how well the users are benefiting from them.


According to recent studies, only 15% of the deaf population in the United States choose to receive cochlear implants. This very small percentage may be as a result of people having wrong perceptions of them.
It is highly likely that a cochlear implant candidate will first discuss the implant with an actual CI user or parent before agreeing to be implanted. By being able to properly respond and inform the candidate, you will be more likely to succeed in convincing the candidate to undergo implantation, and thereby increase their quality of life

Surgery

We had gotten everything ready for the surgery because the it was quite the drive for us. She was getting the surgery done at Childrens hospital in Pittsburgh http://www.chp.edu/CHP/Home. I chose that hospital because they are very well known for what they do and I trusted them with my child. So we drove the three hours to get there and settled into our hotel room for the night and I didn't sleep much that night because I was scared. The next day came and we had to get up early and got to the hospital and what seemed like it took forever was the preparation for the surgery. It felt like an eternity to me. I remember as the nurse came out and took her from me my daughter was in tears going back to the operating room and I was trying not to let her see me cry but, after she went back I just broke down. My daughter was in surgery for about four hours and I didnt quite know exactly what to expect when she was done. I got the call that she was done and I was never so glad to see her. When I had first seen her she had a bandage on her head and I expected it to be a lot worse than it was but the surgeon did a really nice job and today that scar is barely visible behind her ear. We headed up to the room because she had to stay overnight for observation and then the next day she would be free to go home. The wait for this device to be turned on is about six weeks so she only had six more weeks of silence to go and the excitement was growing. What will happen now?

Getting there

http://deafness.about.com/od/basicsofcochlearimplants/a/cisurgery.htm

So as time went on I finally got some great news. My daughters audiologist had mentioned a cochlear implant and I asked her what that was. It is a device that is medically implanted behind the childs ear and has an outerpiece which just bypasses the damaged parts of her ear and sends sound waves direcly to her brain. I was amazed. I couldn't wait to get more information on this. I did so much research on it that I was going back over research that I had already gone over. By this time I knew that this is what I wanted for my daughter. But I was faced with a many questions like. If I did this for her would she be mad at me when she got older. What if she gets really sick? What if it doesnt work? What if she doesn't like it when she figures out what it is. But I took the steps and decided to do all the necessary steps in order for her to get one. I wanted my daughter to hear like everyone else. I didn't want her to feel left out in the hearing world. So we got the news she was going to get the surgery.

A new language

Toddlers are very busy exploring new things everyday and always getting into everything because they are curious so, of course my daughter was curious as to what these things were in her ear. So continuously I had to deal with her throwing them across the room and handing them to me. I had eventually enrolled her into a wonderful program through our local education offices because I figured maybe this woudl be good for her and our family to gain some more knowledge on this. They offered her a speech and hearing therapist and lucky for me her hearing therapist daughter was deaf so she I was hoping to gain a lot of knowledgable information from her and I did. She had said something to me that I never ever thought I would her in my lifetime. She said that the reason kids don't wanna wear hearing aids is because they are not gaining any benefit from them and it was time to learn sign language. So I took them up on the offer and started to learn it with my daughter. After learning this and holding classes at my families home I would only get the best news that a mother wants to hear.

First Audiologist Appt.

http://www.ehow.com/how-does_5615141_hearing-aid-work-children_.html

I knew the first step had to be taken so I scheduled an appointment with a local audiologist and we got the news that our daughter was profoundly deaf. For her to go this long without hearing anything at all was just devastating to me. But they were really good to her and its very hard to understand any of that medical stuff and since I never been through it before they really helped me a lot. They had fit her for hearing aids and children that are a year old we all know how busy they are so this was quite interesting. They had a different variety of colors and sparkles for the ear molds so I wanted her to have the ones that sparkles. Her ears were so tiny then and it was scary that I had to put something in them like that and of course she didnt like it. so what do you do when your kid wont leave her hearing aids in?

First Year

http://lancaster.unl.edu/family/babies.shtml

Time went by and eventually the thoughts of my daughter not beingable to hear had gotten to the point where there were days I wouldnt think about it but then something would happen to make me start thinking about it again and, by the time her first year birthday got around here I knew something was wrong. Most children by this age are starting to say simple words like Mama, DaDa, Ball, and she wasnt saying any of these words and I remember having her birthday party and she just stared at us with a blank look in her face while we sang happy birthday to her and by this time I knew that I had to get her in with someone. so for the next many months my life became very chaotic

Bringing Baby Home

http://www.childcareaware.org/en/subscriptions/dailyparent/volume.php?id=30

Nothing was ever said before I left the hospital about who to call or what to do so I assumed everthing was fine and that maybe the testing was wrong. So I was excited when I brought her home. I felt so happy to have a healthy baby girl. Of course as time passed when I was at home the thought of the testing was always in the back of my mind and I would do things such as shake her ratttles and watch her head turn towards them or call her name and see her look at me so, I didnt believe she couldnt hear if she couldn't how is it possible that she is hearing all this stuff im doing and locatin the source ofthe sound. so many months had passed with the thought that this could actually be true and it went further into the back of my mind.

Anticipation

http://kidshealth.org/parent/pregnancy_newborn/pregnancy/first_day.html

If you are a parent you know the excitement you wait for the whole nine months until your bundle of joy arrives deciding on clothes, how the nursery looks, what names to pick out and everything seems so perfect and finally the day has arrived where your baby arrives and like every parent does you make sure they have ten fingers and ten toes and make sure all there body parts are where they really are suppose to be then only to find out after your baby has been whisked away for staff to do testing on your baby they come back and tell you your baby can't hear. Your heart just sinks to your stomach and a million thoughts run through your head. How could this happen, What did I do to cause this, How can her sister hear and she can't, but this biggest one you are faced with is What do I do now?