A mother from Scotland has issued an urgent safety warning to all parents after her four-month-old baby daughter nearly lost a toe in a terrifying incident involving a single strand of hair.
The Distressing Discovery
Emma Devon, 32, from Cumbernauld, faced every parent's nightmare on December 16. While getting her infant daughter, Rosie, ready for bed, she and her partner James, also 32, noticed something terribly wrong. Rosie's index toe was red, swollen, and had a hair tightly wound around it.
The couple believe the hair was already inside the sock they had put on Rosie that morning. Their initial attempts to gently remove the constricting strand failed, prompting immediate concern. What followed was a harrowing three-day ordeal that left the family fearing the worst.
A Race Against Time for Emergency Surgery
Emma and James contacted A&E at University Hospital Monklands. Medical staff there tried to source hair removal cream and even attempted using stitch cutters, but the toe was too inflamed. The situation was escalating rapidly.
Rosie was urgently transferred to The Royal Hospital for Children in Glasgow for specialist paediatric care. There, doctors delivered a shocking prognosis: Rosie was just hours away from losing her toe. The hair had acted as a tourniquet, severely restricting blood flow.
"I never thought it would've been that serious," Emma told the Daily Record. A consultant confirmed the injury was severe enough to have required amputation and noted such 'hair tourniquet' injuries are common in babies and toddlers up to two years old.
A Stark Warning for All Parents
Following emergency surgery to remove the hair and save the toe, Rosie was discharged from hospital two nights later. The relieved but shaken parents are now determined to raise awareness.
"We keep playing it over in our heads. How close did she come to losing her toe?" Emma said. "I'm shocked that something so innocent could result in something so dangerous."
The family's warning is clear: regularly check your baby's fingers and toes, especially after changing clothes or socks. Pay close attention to unexplained crying, redness, or swelling on extremities, as these can be signs of a hair or thread tourniquet injury requiring immediate medical attention.
