'Honest mom' influencer Libby Ward gets hearing aids after 10 years of 'frustration and shame': 'It's a lot'

Canadian influencer Libby Ward gave her followers a glimpse into her personal life as she marked a self-care milestone — getting her first hearing aids.

Ward, who has earned an audience on social media under the handle "Diary of an Honest Mom," shared her experience in an Instagram reel on Monday.

"I'm really excited about my hearing aids, but I'm actually really nervous. I've needed them for over 10 years... I heard they were so much more affordable at Costco so I took the plunge and I'm finally getting them," the mom-of-two explained.

Ward noted the challenges she has faced as someone who is hard of hearing — a struggle many are unaware she deals with. "A lot of people don't know I'm hard of hearing because unless you spend time with me, you wouldn't notice." Ward detailed that in certain scenarios where she is able to read lips, it's easier to mask that she is hard of hearing. Outside of that, "it is hard work for me to hear absolutely anything, especially speech."

The maternal wellness advocate also noted that as a mother and as someone who also lives with ADHD, her hearing disability is "especially hard."

"My hearing loss has been the source of so much frustration and shame over the last 10 years, I cannot even tell you," Ward confessed.

Following the excitement of receiving her hearing aid at Costco, Ward said she decided to do some grocery shopping. The new array of "overlapping" sounds at the store and on the drive home proved to be overwhelming, however.

"They were being blasted into my head like a speaker phone," she shared. "Who knew [cars] were the noisiest things on the planet? Almost as bad as the sound of putting groceries away. Basically sounded like a war zone."

Despite a challenging first day, Ward remains hopeful about the benefits of her new hearing aids, anticipating that the discomfort will pass. "Apparently it gets much better and I won't regret it, but this first day was really hard," she said.

Ward summarized the theme of her day in her caption, writing, "Day one: The theme? It’s a lot. Living with an invisible disability is a lot. Advocating for or explaining yourself is a lot. Taking care of yourself is a lot. Making changes is a lot. It’s just a lot."

She shared a follow-up message in her Instagram Story responding to a follower who asked about hearing loss and how she realized she needed hearing aids.

"I've known I needed them for years," she penned before revealing a genetic disorder runs in her family that causes hearing loss. She recalled beginning to lose her hearing "as early as high school."

"I knew my hearing was bad. I could never hear my watch beep and I struggled in group conversations, but I got by," she shared.

"Really proud of myself for finally taking the plunge and looking forward to the apparent benefits that will come from having them. In the meantime time, lots of deep breaths, but not too loud because that’s really loud too now," Ward concluded.

Her followers responded with overwhelming support and praise for her honesty in the comments.

"It’s an adjustment. Rooting for you as you go through it! I’m on the other side of the transition and I can share one benefit they didn’t tell me about was that if my kids are being extra loud and shrieky at the dinner table and banging their silverware on stuff…I can just turn it down/off," one person shared.

Another fan commented: "My mom got them from Costco and they’re great! Also not very noticeable - which she was worried about. Her recommendation was to stand in your favourite place and just listen. She told me she had forgotten how beautiful birdsong is. It doesn’t make it easier and she had a hard time with it too. You’re not alone."

"It’s a lot. Be gentle with you. The invisibility of it often leads us to invalidate our own experiences too. Be gentle and slow. I’m proud of you for this. This is big," an Instagram user wrote.

"I just got one in the fall. the adjustment and overstimulation was a lot at first but now I have gotten used to it!," someone weighed in.

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