Mum's warning to always check baby's hands and feet if they won't stop crying
A mum has revealed why you should always check a baby's hands and feet if they won't stop crying.
As pointed out by TikToker Rosey Davidson, it's definitely worth checking your baby's hands or feet because, sometimes, one or more hairs get wrapped around a finger or a toe, due to a condition called 'Hair Tourniquet Syndrome'.
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"Always check your baby's hands and feet if they won't stop crying!" writes Davidson.
"It could be a hair tourniquet - where a hair or thread is wrapped around their toe or finger and cuts off circulation!"
Jason Gray of the National Heath Service (NHS) explains: "Finger involvement commonly occurs in children from 4 days of age to 19 months.
"Can also occur around the penis (usually 4 months to 6 years).
"Hair tourniquet syndrome occurs most commonly in babies and toddlers.
"Why the hair winds so tightly around the digit is unknown."
He adds: "The hair may escape detection as it can cut through the oedematous skin and the surrounding skin may re-epithelialise.
"Treatment therefore begins with recognition of the condition and appreciation of the seriousness of the problem.
"Extremely close examination may be needed to find the hair(s).
Use a magnifying glass and a bright light."
With regards to treatment, Gray writes: "Removal is indicated in all cases and should be implemented as early as possible. Adequately visualised constricting bands with little or no tissue oedema are good candidates for the unwrapping technique.
"Please discuss with the senior CED doctor / Nurse Practitioner. Cases associated with mild to moderate oedema require blunt probe cutting technique.
"In cases where other techniques have failed, when the swelling is so severe that the constricting band is not visible, refer to the paediatric surgical registrar for removal under general anaesthetic."
Commenting on the viral TikTok, one person said: "When my baby was around 3 months old he was screaming and wouldn't stop, we checked his toes and he had a hair wrapped around it so tightly."
A second added: "I have scars from that on my toe."
"Yes this happened to my little brother and his toe was literally going blue and we couldn’t understand why he was crying until we saw it!" another wrote.
Someone else said: "This happened to my 12month old baby, ended up in hospital last week having the toe cut to find the hair! Hours later and she’d have lost her toe!"
Scary stuff, so make sure you always double check with your doctor if you suspect something isn't right.
Anish Vij