Mom Concerned as 5-Day-Old Newborn Won't Eat, Uncovers Silent Poison Inside Home
Jane Taylor was born on Jan. 4. Her parents, Bethany Taylor and Kendall Taylor, eagerly brought her home to their Provo, Utah, apartment.
One of the safest places for a newborn is typically in their own home with loving parents. Jane’s parents were certainly loving, but their home contained a silent poison disguised initially as the dreaded winter cold and flu.
One of the greatest concerns for parents of newborns is the possibility of their baby being exposed to illness, especially the flu this season. The new parents along with Kendall Taylor’s mother all started getting headaches.
Kendall Taylor’s mother left after vomiting. She believed she might have the flu, and aside from feeling miserable, the baby shouldn’t be around someone sick.
But it wasn’t long before Jane began exhibiting signs that she, too, was not feeling well.
Newborns are known for being sleepy, but Jane’s sleepiness raised alarm. She was difficult to wake for feedings.
The parents contacted the baby’s pediatrician, who suggested no further action other than to watch her closely. Kendall Taylor turned to Google and found their symptoms matched that of somebody suffering from carbon monoxide poisoning.
The apartment had an old heater and no CO monitor. Bethany Taylor’s mom was aware of the situation and called poison control.
The family was told to go to the hospital. Dr. James Stewart at Utah Valley Hospital determined CO poisoning, not the flu, was responsible for the family’s symptoms.
Provo baby treated in hyperbaric chamber after family poisoned by carbon monoxide https://t.co/rgcJzpXePV
— Island Hyperbarics (@IslandHBO) February 15, 2018
As a physician, he had a tough decision to make. Jane would be the youngest baby at the hospital to ever be put in the hyperbaric chamber.
“This isn’t something that there is a lot of literature on and five-day-old babies, they can’t tell you a lot. We really had to consider the situation and context of what was happening to other family members,” Stewart explained to the Daily Herald.
Fortunately, three sessions each lasting two hours led to a quick recovery. Bethany Taylor was able to hold Jane during the treatments, which had an immediately positive and noticeable effect.
The landlord got the family a new space heater and CO monitor. No one had any idea how serious this issue could become, and the landlord quickly agreed that detectors were necessary.
Many people die from carbon monoxide poisoning without warning. This little family is extremely fortunate to have survived, and they have started to speak out about this deadly oversight.
The Taylor family is now advocating that landlords of older apartments be required to have CO monitors installed to prevent the silent poison from going undetected.
And if a small price for a monitor could potentially save lives, isn’t that worth the investment?
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