Christmas miracle: Baby girl gets to hear her mum's voice for first time

A video which has gone viral showing the heart-melting moment, Maggie, a toddler from South Carolina hears for the first time with the help of a medical device, right before Christmas.

The youngster, it turns out, was born with two birth defects that left her without a fully formed right ear, or inner structures, leaving her unable to hear clearly.

Her family filmed the moment a clinician fitted Maggie with a stylish pink headband that keeps her new hearing aid in place.

The video shows the little girl looking around slowly, holding still - which the clinician assures her anxious mother and father is normal as she experiences new sounds - but when her mother calls out 'Maggie!' the little girl's eyes go wide as saucers and she gapes gleefully.

According to a study, about one in every 5,000 to 7,000 babies are born with microtia - commonly called 'small ear' - every year. The inner ear birth defect, called aural atresia, is common in children with microtia.

While reconstructive surgery can give children with both microtia and aural atresia back about 60 percent of their hearing back, Maggie won't be eligible for the operation until she is at least three years old.

You can see the video here.