Mum-of-two Charley Finch, 22, has called out strangers who give her ‘disgusted looks’ after cellulitis left her daughter with a black eye.
Charley was woken up at 3am by her five-month-old daughter, Wynter, sobbing in her bedroom.
Assuming she was just hungry, the stay-at-home mum went to make her a bottle when she noticed the left side of her daughter’s face was swollen.
In the morning Wynter had a completely black eye. Charley rushed her to A&E, where she had to assure doctors that she had not hurt her baby.
Wynter was given a series of blood tests, which revealed she had cellulitis, a skin infection that causes swelling.
What is cellulitis?
Cellulitis is a skin infection usually caused by a bacterial infection.
The bacteria can infect the deeper layers of your skin if it’s broken – for example, because of an insect bite or cut, or if it’s cracked and dry.
Sometimes the break in the skin is too small to notice.
You cannot catch cellulitis from another person as it affects the deeper layers of the skin.
It can make the skin look red, hot, and blistered as well as causing pain.
Despite her daughter’s diagnosis, Charley says she continues to receive disgusted looks from people who see Wynter’s face and think that her parents have assaulted the child. .
Charley, from Shifnal, Shropshire, said: ‘When I looked at Wynter in the middle of the night I noticed that her face was swollen, but thought her twin brother may have accidentally hit her.
‘I made her a bottle in case she was hungry and then she went back to bed, but in the morning I noticed her face was completely bruised.
‘I text my auntie for advice, because I didn’t know what to do, and then decided to take Wynter to A&E because I knew something wasn’t right.
‘I was crying to the doctors, telling them it was a bruise and not to talk to social services, but after some blood tests they told me it was cellulitis.
‘She needed strong antibiotics and to have further blood work done a week later and thankfully within a week she had recovered.
‘I felt so humiliated taking her into shops whilst she was recovering and tried to hide her as much as possible, but people kept on looking at us in disgust.
‘I can only assume that because her infection made her look like she had a black eye, people thought me and my partner had given it to her – we were even getting disgusting looks in the A&E waiting room.
‘We even cried because we felt so bad.’
Charley is speaking out to explain that conditions such as cellulitis can cause symptoms that appear concerning, and that strangers shouldn’t assume the worst without asking questions
She said: ‘A mother’s instinct is always right and I strongly believe you know your baby more than anyone.
‘If they aren’t well or something is a little different then it’s best checking it out – you’re better safe than sorry.
‘It’s a shame that we were so heavily judged when all that happened was my little girl being sick, but at least she got all the help she needed.
‘Hopefully by sharing our story it will raise awareness for what cellulitis can look like and also stop people from judging before they know the full story.’
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source https://metro.co.uk/2019/10/17/cellulitis-makes-baby-look-like-black-eye-10934750/
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