The following story is about such a moment. A moment in which a family could lose what mattered most; their child. It is also a moment that forced one father warn other parents out there that they should never ignore it when something about their child looks out of the ordinary, not even the slightest details.Family

The couple had always been planners, never leaving anything to chance.
They made a bunch of plans before they decided to get married, planned every detail when they were about to purchase their first apartment, and when they learned they were going to become parents, that’s when they got into a full planning mood. A huge piles of books on how to raise a child, parenting classes late into the night, a bunch of videos on feeding, bathing, sleep routines, and emergency care, you name it.

They made lists, created schedules, and discussed and double-checked every decision that made about the bundle of joy they were about to welcome in their lives.

And yes, as everyone who knew them expected, their apartment was transformed too. They covered every electrical outlet in the house, even those the child wouldn’t even reach until turning at least 3. Also, they padded every sharp corner, secured all the cabinets, and removed every loose rug from every room. All in all, these two removed anything that they considered a possible danger. For them, preparation was simply protection.

Finally, when the little one was welcomed into the world, everything felt perfect. The baby was always calm, never cried without stopping, and even when he did started crying, they could easily calm him down by either feeding or rocking. Even the pediatrician loved how easy that baby was.

Months passed by, and honestly, nothing about raising that child ever felt overwhelming for his mom and dad. They even joked, quietly, that maybe they were just lucky, but they had no idea how fragile that sense of calm really was.

And then, one night changed everything.

At first, it didn’t sound like a big deal.

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The baby began to whine softly in his crib, but every child does. That’s what they do, sometimes for no apparent reason.

It was the type of noise parents know right away, like not full crying but a little discomfort. His mother held him, rocked him, and whispered to him, and after a while, he got quiet. But then, it started again.

One hour passed. Then another. The whining grew a little more shrill. By evening, it was full-blown, inconsolable crying. Not the usual crying that was a sign of him being hungry or maybe tired. This was different.

They tried everything they usually would, but this time, nothing really helped.

His mother couldn’t get him to calm down. He wouldn’t settle in his crib, and suddenly, his cheeks flushed and his breathing became shallow.

The father paced, cradled him to his chest and started rocking him as softly as he could. The mother tried feeding him once more. She changed his diaper, took his temperature, and swaddled him in a blanket. She then unswaddled him, fearing he could be too warm.

Despite all their efforts, the crying simply wouldn’t stop, and they weren’t used to seeing their baby cry that long or that much.

After a few hours, they could feel panic setting in so they took him to the emergency room. Better safe than sorry, right?

Doctors there examined the baby right away. They took his temperature and checked his vital signs, and then one of them said, “It’s just colic. Nothing unusual for an infant. There’s nothing to worry about, really.”Medical Facilities & Services

And honestly, the nurses made faces as though they were trying to say that new parents nowadays exaggerate things.

The parents were told that simple massages to the belly would eventually help. They also suggested soothing techniques and some drops.

Since that was what doctors said, the parents believed them and headed home.

However, the next couple of days were a real struggle. The baby barely slept from crying that continued day and night.
He was also exhausted, and so were his mom and dad, who felt like their world was collapsing because they couldn’t help their little one.

Even when he calmed down, it only lasted for a few minutes, and then the crying continued again.

Anxiety started growing heavier with each passing hour. They felt useless and started questioning their sanity. They were obviously doing something wrong, but what was it? What was that they could do differently? Were they missing something that was obvious? Sadly, they had no answers. Still, they trusted the doctors’ diagnosis. That was one thing they didn’t question.

On the third night, the husband told his wife she had to go lie down.

“You really need some rest. You simply can’t go like this any longer,” he said to her. “I’ll take him, just get some rest.”

She didn’t like the idea, but she was too tired, so she agreed. The moment she went to bed, she passed down from exhaustion.

The father buckled the infant into a carrier on his chest and started pacing slowly from one room to the next without stopping or sitting. He just walked back and forth endlessly.

Eventually, the crying softened a bit, and the screams seemed to turn into hoarse breathing. Finally, after days of constant crying, the apartment was silent again.

Once the baby was calm and and about to fall asleep, the dad sat next to him carefully, afraid he might disturb him again, and stared at him. And that’s when he noticed something off. One of the baby’s legs moved normally, while the other one barely moved at all.

It remained bent, rigid, and it looked as though the baby was trying to protect it.

He got scared because something could be awfully wrong, and doctors could have missed it. Medical Facilities & Services

He gently unbuttoned the baby’s clothing and looked at his legs even more carefully. At first, everything looked fine. Nothing obvious. There were no bruises or marks. But then he took his socks off and choked on his breath.

One foot, the one that moved normally, looked pink and warm. The other one was swollen, dark red, and hot. And there, between those tiny toes, was a strand of hair. The dad knew it was his wife’s hair, and it was wrapped deeply around the baby’s toes.

Not only was the hair tightened around the tiny toes, but it also caused cutting off blood flow.

The skin was swelling and starting to heal over it, pinning it in further. So every movement was making it even worse.

The father finally realized what was going on and why the baby kept crying and crying for days. It wasn’t colic, but likely a real, sharp pain.

He woke his wife right away and they headed to the ER right away. When they waved the baby’s leg at the doctors, the medics response was immediate.

Doctors moved quickly and nurses were called for help. The baby was taken away almost right away. The parents were told that if they delayed any longer, the damage could be irreversible.

The baby was rushed to surgery.

Who knew that a strand of human hair can do so much damage to a child?

Doctors explained that what happened to the baby is medically known as hair tourniquet syndrome, a rare condition that can happen when a strand of hair or a thread of cloth wraps tightly around the baby’s toe, finger or another appendage. In extreme cases, blood flow to the baby’s limb can be blocked. If treatment is delayed, it may result in serious problems like tissue death or bone damage, potentially requiring amputation.

The parents now prayed their baby’s toes would be saved. They also started blaming themselves for not realizing the cause of the pain and the crying sooner. Only if they questioned the initial diagnosis, things wouldn’t get this serious. But the damage was done, and all they could do was wait and hope for the best outcome.

Fortunately, the surgery was successful, and the baby is now doing fine. His father now urges parents to check everything when they suspect something could be wrong with their baby.

Conclusion

This story is not about blame, but about staying informed.

Parents need to realize that danger doesn’t always announce itself with a bang and it doesn’t always look like a big deal.

If this story at least causes one parent to stop and take a closer look, and possibly see something that they would have missed otherwise—then it has been worth sharing.

Don’t forget that sometimes, concern means running a second look on the apparently innocuous.

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Bored Daddy

Love and Peace