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Wales Online
4 days ago
- Health
- Wales Online
'I was about to feed my baby when the bottle exploded - now I might be scarred for life'
'I was about to feed my baby when the bottle exploded - now I might be scarred for life' Megan Elston was scalded by the baby formula which sprayed over her stomach and thighs Megan Elston, 23, with her seven-month-old Koah Keidel (Image: Kennedy News & Media ) A first-time mum fears she'll be scarred for life after a baby bottle 'exploded' on her tummy and thighs - spraying her with scalding formula. Megan Elston says she was preparing her seven-month-old Koah Keidel's evening feed on May 1 using a MAM Baby bottle that she had been using for the last three months. After waiting 20 minutes for the boiled kettle water to cool down she says she filled the 9oz bottle and added the milk formula. But just before the 23-year-old went to shake the cup to mix the solution, she claims the bottle exploded at both ends - spilling liquid over her thighs and lower tummy. Shocking photos show the full-time mum's inner thighs with large red burns on them, which then developed into blisters. After taking a 15-minute shower to try and cool her wounds, Megan went to North Devon District Hospital in Barnstaple, North Devon, where she claims her left leg felt like it was "on fire". There, she had the blisters popped and bandaged and was prescribed antibiotics before being discharged to recover at home. Now healing, Megan says she fears she will be left scarred for life and feels self-conscious about wearing shorts and dresses this summer. Megan Elston's burns after they were bandaged in hospital (Image: Kennedy News & Media ) The mum-of-three is raising awareness about what happened to her to stop it from happening to other parents. Megan, from Westward Ho! in Devon, said: "I was just sterilising bottles like I normally do. Article continues below "I boiled the kettle and waited 20 minutes and then put the water in the bottle and put the powder in. I put the lid on and I hadn't even shook it yet and the lid just popped off. Both the top and bottom popped off and it kind of exploded. "I waited for 20 minutes because any longer than 30 minutes and the water wouldn't be warm enough to kill the bacteria. The formula went over both of my thighs and some of my belly. Luckily my baby was in the other room when this happened. "The blisters all started coming up. At the hospital they popped the blisters on one leg and dressed them. "When they started to blister it felt like my leg was on fire. I then went to the doctors the following day as I had woken up and the other leg had started to blister too. "It wasn't painful getting them popped but getting the burns dressed was painful as it was sore to touch. I was worried that I'd be left scarred for life. It's such a big area and summer is coming up too." Megan needed hospital treatment (Image: Kennedy News & Media ) Since the accident, Megan says she has been back to the doctors and hospital a few times to have her burns cleaned and re-dressed. Megan is now raising awareness about what happened to her as she claims she followed the correct procedure when making Koah's milk formula. Megan said: "Koah is seven months old and I have been using MAM bottles since he was born. I used the smaller bottles and now I have moved up to the 9oz ones. "I moved onto this bottle about three months ago and have never had any issues before with them. Koah has a bottle at least five or six times a day so I am very used to doing this procedure. "All I can say is make sure you're not holding your baby when you're putting the bottles together. It's left me feeling self-conscious and quite rubbish. I'm quite conscious of going out in little dresses and shorts now." Megan Elston fears she'll now be left scarred for life (Image: Kennedy News & Media ) Megan says she has since reached out to MAM about her burns. She says they have told her to send the bottle back to them so they can investigate further. A MAM spokesman said: "The safety of our customers and their babies is at the forefront of everything we do and MAM is committed to ensuring the highest quality standards. "All of our products are rigorously tested and meet applicable safety standards. The bottle type in question is certified to EN standard 14350:2020. "We are very concerned about Megan's injury and have requested that we collect her bottle to enable us to thoroughly test it and investigate the circumstances around the accident. Clear instructions on safe use are supplied with every bottle. Article continues below "These include never pouring boiling water into the bottle and allowing boiled water to cool for at least 20 minutes before introducing it to a bottle to reduce the risk of scalding. While preparing a bottle, we recommend that you never do it with a baby close by. "You should always wrap it in a towel or cloth to ensure the base is tightly screwed on and any shaking should be done gently over a sink with the base facing away from you."
Wales Online
12-05-2025
- Wales Online
Pocket bully killed child's therapy dog after fleeing owner and locking jaws on 'pup'
Our community members are treated to special offers, promotions and adverts from us and our partners. You can check out at any time. More info A child's therapy dog was mauled to death by a 'pocket bully' - that his owner walked without a muzzle or even a lead. Karen Hawthornthwaite, 54, was returning from a dog walk with her Lhasa Apso Benji when muscle-bound bully breed began attacking her pooch on their doorstep. Shocking CCTV footage captured the moment the large brown dog raced across the road and locked its jaws around Karen's 'puppy-sized' dog. As Karen and other people in the street tried to prize the bully off her seven-year-old pet, Benji could be heard crying in pain. Eventually after a two-minute struggle, the teaching assistant is seen to free Benji and run into her front garden to safety. Following the attack on April 29th, Karen rushed her seven-year-old pooch to the vet where they performed emergency surgery to have his left leg amputated. Unfortunately, a week after the incident, Karen and her family had to make the heartbreaking decision to put Benji to sleep. Police said the owner of the pocket bulldog was given an Acceptable Behaviour Contract under the ASB, Crime and Policing Act, 2014 with specific conditions that include ensuring their dog is on a lead at all times in residential areas. (Image: Kennedy News & Media) Benji had originally been bought as a therapy dog for Karen's autistic son Riley Hawthornthwaite five years ago to help with his anxiety. Now 16, Karen says Riley is heartbroken by what has happened and she is speaking out about the attack as she fears the next victim could be a child. Karen, from Darwen in Lancashire, said: "I was coming down the street and I'd seen this guy with this pocket bully breed off the lead, and it ran straight across the main road. "The owner had no control over it whatsoever. I said to myself, that dog is going to get run over. I didn't think any more of it. "When the attack first happened, the owner was telling me to pull Benji away, even though the dog had my boy's leg in his mouth. "I thought if I do this, I'm going to pull his leg off. "The owner was thumping the dog with his fists. The woman across the road was thumping the dog too, screaming at the dog to let go. I can't stop thinking of Benji's face when it was happening. "The owner gave almighty pull and it eventually loosened. I've no idea how. Everything's a bit of a blur. It took the efforts of multiple neighbours for the dog to let go. "It was like a horror movie. This dog had blood all over its face and so did Benji. I couldn't go inside because my son has autism and suffers from anxiety so I didn't want him to see all the blood. "The owner took the dog away. Benji was shaking like mad." (Image: Kennedy News & Media) Before undergoing his operation, an X-ray revealed Benji had a deep three-centimetre incision in his left leg. And despite his amputation being successful, the family pet suffered further infections and refused to eat. Instead, Benji had to be put to sleep on May 6 - exactly five years to the day they welcomed the pup into their lives. Karen is now calling for the attacking dog to be put down and is scared to leave the house. Karen said: "My son is absolutely heartbroken and he wants this other dog dead now. This dog needs to be put down. For everybody's safety, it needs to be put down. "I don't know where this dog is now and I'm petrified of it doing it again. I certainly don't want anybody to go through what I am going through. All dogs should be on leads, especially if they are on main roads. "It's horrendous, knowing what dog it was and the fact it was unmuzzled is just not right. "Next time with this dog, it could be a child, it could be anybody." Following the incident, Karen said she was visited by Lancashire Police. A spokesperson for Lancashire Police said: "Having thoroughly reviewed all the circumstances and sought expert advice, it was deemed that this incident did not meet the criteria of any offences under the Dangerous Dog Act. "However, in order to reduce the likelihood of a similar incident happening again, the owner of the pocket bulldog was given an Acceptable Behaviour Contract under the ASB, Crime and Policing Act, 2014 with specific conditions which include ensuring their dog is on a lead at all times in residential areas." You can donate to support the family on the vet bills they spent in trying to save Benji here.
Yahoo
26-03-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Caffeinated ‘workout queen' dies from heart attack at 28 as heartbroken mom warns ‘keep your kids away from this stuff'
A fitness and caffeine enthusiast died at the age of 28 from a heart attack — her devastated mother believes energy drinks are to blame. Florida teacher Katie Donnell was committed to a healthy lifestyle — even as she often drank three energy drinks a day and took a caffeine supplement before hitting the gym. 'At 28, you just don't see people dropping dead of a heart attack,' her mother, Lori Barranon, recently told Kennedy News & Media. 'She was a workout queen, she ate real clean, she ate organic food, she was the epitome of health other than [having energy drinks].' Barranon, 63, claimed her daughter did not have health issues apart from really bad anxiety. 'She had horrible anxiety and went to several doctors,' she said. 'I don't think it was real anxiety, I think it was her abuse of caffeine and energy drinks.' Donnell was spending time with friends in August 2021 when she suddenly fell to the ground as her eyes rolled to the back of her head. Her pals initially mistook the episode as a stroke. They called an ambulance — but it was too late. 'She was without oxygen for too long and it caused brain damage,' Barranon said. 'They worked on her for three hours, and she never woke up.' After 10 days in a medically induced coma, her seizures worsened. Her family had to make the heartbreaking decision to take her off life support. 'Doctors said they see this happen a lot with people that do a lot of pre-workout or energy drinks but they wouldn't give the cause of death to that,' Barranon said. 'I know for a fact that was what was wrong with her.' It's unclear the brand or type of energy drinks Donnell consumed. While moderate caffeine intake can enhance alertness and physical performance, it can also raise blood pressure, spike heart rate and exacerbate anxiety — none of which is good for heart health. While rare, others have died of caffeine overdoses. In 2018, 21-year-old Australian musician Lachlan Foote died of caffeine toxicity after adding a teaspoon of caffeine powder to a protein shake. While she ultimately survived, 20-year-old Jazmin Garza was left on life support last year after having just a few sips of her energy drink before a workout. Recent research reports that consuming over 400 milligrams of caffeine a day can increase the risk of cardiovascular disease in otherwise healthy people. 'For most adults, up to 400 mg of caffeine per day is considered safe,' nutritionist Nichola Ludlam-Raine previously told The Post. For reference, this translates to: Four small cups of brewed coffee (around 90–100 mg each) Five to six shots of espresso (about 65–80 mg each) Two to four larger coffee shop-style drinks Most energy drinks in the US contain 100 to 300 mg of caffeine — although some brands boast more. Barranon said her daughter 'was drinking a lot of coffee' and 'would buy a four-pack [of drinks] every two to three days.' Now, the distraught mother is sounding the alarm in the hopes that other families can avoid similar tragedy. 'If you don't keep your kids away from this stuff you may be in my situation where your life is ruined. It's so harmful and deadly, my whole family is affected by this,' Barranon said. 'I beg people to counsel your kids and watch what they're doing, I thought I was. I tell everybody I see with energy drinks that this is what it can do in the blink of an eye.'
