Persistent cries? Check the toes/fingers...

"Guard himself as he may, every moment’s an ambush" ~ Horace


I read a post (on Facebook) a couple of months ago about Scott and Jessica Walker's experience with their baby. Scott Walker shared it on his wall, and this is what the post says:

*I have permission to share it here*

"Had a small scare this afternoon with Ms. Molly (their 19-month old daughter). What happened was new to me, but apparently not totally uncommon, so I figured I'd share with my fellow parents out there.
I was with the family over lunch and Molly was cranky and screaming - nothing out of the ordinary. As worked up as she was getting, she started to overheat, which prompted Jess to remove her socks and cool her down.
That's when we saw her toe. This is called a hair tourniquet, which is literally a strand of hair that, while inside a sock, unexplainably [sic] wraps around a toe so tight that it can cut through the skin and potentially cut off blood circulation.
Luckily for Molly, she has a mother with medical emergency superpowers who was able to remove the hair with tweezers and a magnifying glass within a few minutes. This picture was taken about 45 minutes after the hair was removed. 


Unfortunately, the hair managed to cut all the way through Molly's skin, completely around her toe, but it could have been worse had it gone much longer untreated, or if the hair wasn't accessible.
The doctor told me, for future reference, to always check the toes if the baby is inconsolable. Just an FYI to any parents or care takers out there."

 I never would have imagined such a thing could happen until I read about it. What also amazed me was the number of comments by people who have had similar experiences. 

Hair tourniquet as it is called (oh and there is a Wikipedia entry for it as well), happens when a strand of hair or thread (that would also include our Brazilian hair *smiles* and hair extensions) gets wrapped tightly around a baby's toe or finger. 
This can also happen when babies are asleep and lose threads from sheets or duvet wrap around the toes. I cannot imagine the intensity of pain that a child feels when this happens. And being unable to say what the problem is, they just keep screaming and yelling from pain. Just writing about it makes me feel a bit sick. It's a rare occurrence though, but one to look out for just in case. In some cases, it could lead to loss of the toe or finger. 

Are there any experiences you may have had that you would like to share with us? Please use the comment box.


The Baby Analyst.

Not a doctor, just a financial analyst who loves kids. 



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