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Home › Articles › Fiction/Opinion/Essay/Humor › Two Moms Talk: One Can't Hear

Two Moms Talk: One Can't Hear

What New Parenthood is Like for the Hearing and the Deaf

By Lisa A. Goldstein and Jenn Director Knudsen

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Jenn: I remember when an elderly neighbor came over to bring me some chocolates and congratulate me on Alyssa's birth. Before she left, Alyssa needed to nurse. I pulled out the nursing pillow, placed my daughter across it and began breastfeeding. My neighbor was wide-eyed. She, too, had nursed her children, so she wasn't astonished to see part of my breast. Rather, she couldn't get over what a "modern" contraption I had at my disposal for what was, at the beginning, a difficult task.

Even though Alyssa was never very interested in taking a bottle, I still am so grateful for the convenience of the breast pump. Using it at least gave me the feeling I could pump and have milk available for my daughter if I was to go out for an evening or be away during a daytime feeding. As a result, I never felt "chained" to my baby. And I don't know what I'd do without our simple, battery-operated one-way monitor. Since the system only has two components, it's easy to slip into a bag and take on vacation. So, though I'm very grateful for "modern advances" that help mommies with their babies, compared to Lisa, I use woefully little of what's really out there.

Lisa: Before I had Samara, I used to joke that I wouldn't have to get up in the middle of the night when my child cried because I wouldn't hear those heartbreaking sounds. My husband always brought me back to reality by saying he would be my human alarm and not let me get away with it. Alas, we're living in a modern world. I couldn't play deaf even if I tried.

Along with the "modern advances" that Jenn mentions, I have enough technology in my house to have a disco party. A signaler that's attached to my alarm clock is set up in Samara's room. My husband sets the sensitivity level so that when she's in full-blown cry mode, it makes my light flash and pillow vibrate. Unfortunately, they don't stop until she does. I soon realized that I didn't like being abruptly woken up by the vibration, so I unplug that during the night and keep it in during the day, as it's harder to see the light flash then.

We also have a portable video monitor that allows us to view Samara in her crib. Now that she's older, we've had to retire it, as she can now reach the cord that runs from the camera. At least I don't have to worry about neighbors being able to see her on channel 78. As if that wasn't enough, we also have the portable Fisher Price monitor with a vibrating option and lights that ramp with sound. I can turn up the volume to ensure that I hear it. The one thing it can't do is tell me if Samara gets sick in her crib. Sometimes technology can only do so much.

Grateful for What We've Got

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