The young mother, Kristen, said that she reportedly went into her seven-month-old son’s room to pick him up from his nap. Unfortunately, when she saw her son, she noticed that something was wrong. A concerning “chemical burn” had developed on the side of his face that hadn’t been there earlier that day. The mother was confused. The brave mom rushed her son to the hospital so a doctor could get a better look at the wound on his face. Though unlikely, she still couldn’t figure out what had happened to her boy.
“As you become a parent, you read so much, and you learn so much, and your doctors tell you, and it’s drilled into your head,” she stated. Kristen was not content with the doctors’ first explanation that her son had developed ringworm. This didn’t seem logical to her because she had been vigilant about taking care of him and he hadn’t been in many situations where he could contract it. Upon further examination, the doctors discovered that her baby, Jack, had been burned. Kristen assisted the medical professionals in their investigation and they were able to deduce that a pacifier was responsible for burning Jack’s face. This type of pacifier is given to mothers of newborns.
The seemingly innocuous act of lying down on his pacifier during a nap caused Jack to suffer a chemical burn. One report indicated that he might need expensive plastic surgery to fix the damage. “I was just in shock,” Kristen remarked about the entire situation. “I just never thought something like this could happen.” Kristen has started a social media campaign called #PacifierWatch to warn other parents about the dangers of leaving their pacifiers lying around. She hopes that by sharing her story, she can help alleviate some of the heartaches and worries Innumerable other parents experience daily.
“I just don’t want this to happen to another baby,” Kristen stated. “I feel like if I can help one mom or save one baby from going through this, then it was all worth it.” Parents, please remember to keep your child’s pacifier clean and away from them when they’re not using it. Something as easy as this can help prevent a lot of pain – both for your baby and yourself. Kristen’s story is a scary reminder of how crucial it is to be careful when it comes to our children’s safety. Dear readers, we are republishing this story to raise awareness about the dangers of pacifiers.
