Our Story
In January 2019, my husband and I got engaged...and 36 hours later, we found out I was unexpectedly pregnant. We like to say Cooper was a surprise from the beginning, and he's kept the surprises coming since.
When Cooper was born in September 2019, he referred on his newborn hearing screening twice. We were told this wasn’t abnormal and to bring him back to retest. We did so at three weeks and were given the same result. Around this time, I learned of Waardenburg Syndrome and started researching. Much of what I read aligned with my baby and I just knew that's what we were facing.
On October 18, 2019, we had an appointment with an audiologist for more advanced testing, which elicited no response. We learned that day that we are dealing with full sensorineural hearing loss in both ears, meaning Cooper was born profoundly deaf.
After a fairly normal pregnancy and delivery, this came as a shock to all of us. You never expect your child to face any huge hurdles immediately in life, and it is terrifying when you learn they will. It takes time to process, to let it sink in. And once it does, you find yourself faced with staying stagnant or taking action. And I promise, action is the better option.
As Cooper’s parents, we are committed to educating ourselves and advocating for him as much as possible. Cooper has bilateral cochlear implants and uses a combination of spoken language and sign language to communicate. While not what we anticipated, this journey has truly been a beautiful one full of silver linings.
Meet Beth
Beth Leipholtz is an inclusion and accessibility advocate who believes in creating a more accepting world for our children. As the hearing mother of a deaf child, Beth is raising her son, Cooper, bilingually in both hearing and Deaf cultures. She shares her parenting journey on TikTok, YouTube, Facebook and Instagram, where she has built a community of more than 2 million people around disability inclusion.
She lives with her husband and son in Minnesota. In addition to spending time with her family, Beth enjoys Minnesota summers, photography, iced Americanos, CrossFit, and a good old-fashioned book. You can follow her online at @beth_and_coop.
Other Ventures
Being an author and content creator is just part of who I am. I also own my own photography business, work full-time as a website designer and have a podcast!
A Peek At Life
