My baby girl swallowed a water bead and nearly died – I want other parents to stop buying them | The Sun
A BABY who swallowed a water bead has been left with a nasty infection which could have given her brain damage.
Folichia Mitchell, mum-of-four, bought a water beads activity kit in late October for her 8-year-old son, who is on the autism spectrum.
But somehow, her 10-month-old baby daughter Kennedy got hold of the plastic beads and managed to swallow one leaving her on death's door.
The mum from Maine, US is now calling on all parents to throw away any water beads they may have and for the manufacturers to add warnings to packaging.
"The makers have got to add a warning that water beads could cause a blockage in the digestive system that could lead to death," Folichia wrote in an essay for Insider.
The mum first noticed something was wrong in early November when Kennedy began vomiting and became "very lethargic".
"She also started to spit up bile," Folichia wrote.
Doctors discovered a bead had blocked the infants digestive tract, and immediately performed surgery to remove the object.
But by then the damage to the baby's organs had already been done.
"My husband, David, and I were terrified when she was taken into surgery to have it removed.
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"It was scary to think she was going under the knife when she was only 10 months old," she explained.
The parent's nightmare did not stop there as baby Kennedy quickly developed septicemia – a blood infection – and had to endure four more operations.
She was given a 50-50 chance of surviving the third — and is still in the hospital, as of today.
"I felt like I was dying," the mum said.
"I was holding on from minute to minute. Each half-hour that passed, I asked myself, 'Is she still alive?' The world stopped."
Kennedy has since had had platelet transfusions and is taking medications to prevent blood clots.
She is being fed through a tube, that goes in her nose and down directly into her stomach.
The doctors said they will have to wait until she's older to see if she has been left with any brain damage.
"Since we found the cause of her issues was from ingesting a bead, I've become angrier with the companies who make water beads, Folichia has said.
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"The label says they should be used only by kids over 3.
"But the makers have got to add a warning that water beads could cause a blockage in the digestive system that could lead to death," she added.
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