A MUM claims “half her nipple peeled off” after scalding hot formula “exploded” on her chest.
Leona Downie says she was preparing five-month-old Arlo Minles’ milk formula on April 30 with the same MAM Baby bottle she’d used since he was born.
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The 18-year-old claims she waited 15 minutes for boiling water to cool down in the kettle before pouring it into the bottle and adding milk formula.
But she says that when she shook the bottle to mix the milk, it burst open at both ends and the hot contents “exploded” over her chest.
Leona says she immediately began to scream and jumped into a cold shower to ease the burning sensation, which felt like she was “continuously being stabbed”.
She rushed to Blackpool Victoria Hospital A&E, where she was told she had suffered second-degree burns from the hot milk solution.
Horrifying photos show the mum-of-one’s left breast bright red where the scalding formula burnt her.
After having the dead skin removed from her 11cm-long burn site, a nurse dressed her wound and discharged her from hospital.
Leona claims the milk explosion “peeled” half her nipple off and that she’s now unable to wear low-cut tops in public as she thinks the scarring looks “ugly”.
The full-time carer is speaking out about her burns to warn other parents.
MAM Baby – the maker of the the bottle – say they’re “very concerned” by Leona’s injuries and are investigating.
Leona, from Blackpool, Lancashire, said: “I boiled the kettle and left the water in for a little bit. The kettle was only half full.
“I poured the water into the baby’s bottle after about 10 to 15 minutes [and added the milk formula] and then began shaking it.
“I then remember hearing a bang and both the top and the bottom [of the bottle] blew off. It exploded.
“All the hot milk went all over me. My whole body started burning and I thought I was going to die.
“The burn was on the whole of my left boob. All the skin started peeling off straight away.
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“It was red and very sore. I screamed and burst out crying.
“I was in a lot of pain and couldn’t stop thinking about it. It was horrible and felt like I was continuously being stabbed.
“It was a second-degree burn. I was worried it was going to scar for life.
“It peeled half of my nipple off so I haven’t really got a nipple. This was from the burn.
How to treat burns
Your skin has three layer; the outer layer (epidermis), the dermis (which contains vessels, nerves, hair follicles) and the deeper layer of fat (subcutis).
A full thickness burn is when all layers of skin are damaged, while a superficial burn is when only the top layer has been effected.
The NHS says to treat a burn:
- Immediately get the person away from the heat source
- Remove any clothing or jewellery, including babies’ nappies, but do not move anything that’s stuck to the skin
- Cool the burn with cool or lukewarm running water for 20 to 30 minutes – do not use ice, iced water, or any creams or greasy substances like butter
- Make sure the person keeps warm by using a blanket, for example
- After cooling the burn, cover the burn by placing a layer of cling film over it – a clean plastic bag could also be used for burns on your hand
- Use painkillers such as paracetamol or ibuprofen
- Raise the affected area if possible to reduce swelling
- If it’s an acid or chemical burn, dial 999, carefully try to remove the chemical and any contaminated clothing, and rinse the affected area using as much clean water as possible
You should go to a hospital A&E department for:
- All chemical and electrical burns
- Large or deep burns – any burn bigger than the injured person’s hand
- Burns that cause white or charred skin – any size
- Burns on the face, neck, hands, feet, any joints or genitals
“The burn site was 11cm long and 5cm wide and this covered my nipple.
“I won’t wear low cut tops anymore [due to my scar] as it’s quite ugly.”
The MAM Baby instruction manual says “cooling time of at least 20 minutes is suggested by MAM for the boiled water to cool enough to be used for making up a bottle, however depending on the volume, the water still may be very hot after this time and you must be careful to avoid scalding”.
Leona said she had prepared Arlo’s feeds in this bottle since he was born on December 6 last year.
Leona said: “It’s not a new bottle. I have had them for five months and used them since Arlo’s birth.
“I use bottles like this every night and it’s the first time it has happened.
“I use this bottle up to three times a day and I always make sure the top and bottom are screwed on properly, as they both come off.”
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Following her scalding, Leona says she has emailed a complaint to MAM Baby and is now using a different bottle brand to feed Arlo with.
Leona said: “The pain only stopped a couple of days ago. My skin is really tight so I hardly move my arm and it’s just scarred.
“Mums need to be careful. These bottles are supposed to be safe for mums to be using around the baby and they obviously aren’t.
“This bottle is meant for hot milk to go in. Your kettle water has to be 70 degrees to kill the bacteria in the formula.
“I let the kettle water cool down for 15 minutes before putting it in the bottle to make sure it was safe for my baby and safe to shake as well.”
MAM Baby’s response
A spokesperson for MAM 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 Leona’s injury and are currently arranging for her bottle to be collected to enable us to thoroughly test it and investigate the circumstances around the accident.
“Clear instructions on safe use are supplied with every bottle. 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 should never do it with a baby close by and always shake gently with the base facing away over a sink while wrapped in a towel or cloth.”
