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Original poster

Baby has been bleeding from thumb for over 2 hours. What do I do?

51 replies

CleanTheChicken · 11/06/2022 22:59

A small chunk of my baby's (10 months) thumb got chopped off while cutting her nails today. So an open wound. She's been continually bleeding since 8.30pm despite keeping it tightly covered with a cloth the entire time. Called 111 and they said to take her to the hospital. Took her and they've said the wait is 5 hours. She's been unwell for a week too (think it's a bug as we all now have it. Not COVID). The bleeding has luckily stopped for about 20 minutes now but don't know if I should stay here for half the night just to be quickly seen and then be fobbed off with something ridiculous as they usually do or go home, cover the wound, keep it sterile and see how she is tomorrow. I've been up since 5am and not been too well myself and honestly the 5 hour wait is sounding a little dreadful to me. But obviously my baby takes priority. Is it worth staying on? Or can I do something for her at home?

OP posts:
MoveBitch · 11/06/2022 23:02

When you say bleeding for 2 hours, how much blood.are we talking?

Clevs · 11/06/2022 23:05

Have you applied pressure to the wound?

To be honest I'm not sure what the hospital would do apart from put a pressure dressing on it. But if you applied pressure to it yourself instead of just putting a cloth on it then the bleeding may stop.

TokyoSushi · 11/06/2022 23:05

Yes agree, how much blood are we talking? Pouring, dripping etc, stay. Something that could be controlled with a plaster, maybe less so.

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ZealAndArdour · 11/06/2022 23:05

Don’t put a plaster on a baby’s fingers, it’s a choking hazard. Unless you can put her in a baby grow with hand covers and she won’t be able to get her arms out the neck or poppers or anything.

She won’t bleed out from her thumb, it’s just going to be a case of vigilance and applying pressure if it re-bleeds.

If it becomes red around the edges or swollen, etc in the next few days then it may have got infected and need abx.

12Thorns · 11/06/2022 23:09

ZealAndArdour · 11/06/2022 23:05

Don’t put a plaster on a baby’s fingers, it’s a choking hazard. Unless you can put her in a baby grow with hand covers and she won’t be able to get her arms out the neck or poppers or anything.

She won’t bleed out from her thumb, it’s just going to be a case of vigilance and applying pressure if it re-bleeds.

If it becomes red around the edges or swollen, etc in the next few days then it may have got infected and need abx.

Tyou can bleed out from a thumb, not that is going to happen to the ops baby, but please don’t put such factually incorrect information on a public board were someone might see it and use it in making decisions for an injured child

12Thorns · 11/06/2022 23:09

Stay OP. They might want to test for low platelets

Original poster
CleanTheChicken · 11/06/2022 23:12

Well she bled through quite a lot of cloths despite applying pressure. I'd say about 8 kitchen towels maybe. And that's my concern too, that what are they really going to do for something like this? The bleeding has stopped so is it really worth waiting 5 hours for them to check it and then state the obvious (keep it clean and check for infections).

Ahhh I hate being ill. Even the most obvious solutions feel like such a complicated riddle. Sleep deprivation doesn't help either lol.

OP posts:
Original poster
CleanTheChicken · 11/06/2022 23:14

12Thorns · 11/06/2022 23:09

Stay OP. They might want to test for low platelets

Oh that's not scary at all 😳

OP posts:
Clevs · 11/06/2022 23:15

If the bleeding has stopped then I would go home.

QuidditchThroughtheAges · 11/06/2022 23:16

No you need to stay. If it starts bleeding again when you get home what will you do? Sometimes little babies like this need an operation to save the nail bed so yes you need to stay.

Plus you've signed in if you leave the report to the hv will say that you left without seeking treatment for her. We have to refer to health visitor for children that's not negotiable

Original poster
CleanTheChicken · 11/06/2022 23:17

I don't want to seem cavalier about my baby's wellbeing but as wonderful as my local hospital was when I gave birth, they've been awful for literally everything else. Just a bunch of time and NHS money wasted (most have ended in 'take paracetamol').

OP posts:
QuidditchThroughtheAges · 11/06/2022 23:17

How much of the thumb was chopped off? Did you bring it with you?

SingleMomIreland · 11/06/2022 23:18

I'd stay. You don't want to get home for it to split, start bleeding again and have to go back
You'd be starting from scratch in the queue. Your nearly half way through the wait.
That does seem like quite a bit of blood for a baby to loose aswell, so that's why they might possibly do low platelet check.
You may get seen, and told to go.home and monitor, in which case....good.
If not, they may give antibiotics to prevent infection.
Better to be safe than sorry
Hope your wee one isn't too upset x

Bettyboop3 · 11/06/2022 23:19

A smal chunk? What do you use to cut your baby's nails with? I must say you seem more concerned about yourself than the injury you've caused your baby!

TokyoSushi · 11/06/2022 23:20

Yes was just giving an idea about how much it might be bleeding rather than necessarily suggesting a plaster...

You might as well stay now OP

TabithaTittlemouse · 11/06/2022 23:21

Stay.

Original poster
CleanTheChicken · 11/06/2022 23:23

Bettyboop3 · 11/06/2022 23:19

A smal chunk? What do you use to cut your baby's nails with? I must say you seem more concerned about yourself than the injury you've caused your baby!

Obviously I care more about myself. Can you not tell from my post that I hate my baby too? I'm all about neglecting the most important person in my life.

OP posts:
GreenCard · 11/06/2022 23:23

Time wasted and just paracetamol prescribed previously is a good thing as it’s not serious? Surely most people get that they see 10 people and reassure 9 after seeing a medical professional and treat the 1? So it’s good when they find nothing and everyone’s happy to see all the cases to not miss the one and reassure the rest?

m bleeding through 8 pieces of kitchen towel is a huge amount. I would stay and get assessed.

greenvelvetcouch · 11/06/2022 23:23

Stay. That’s a lot of blood.

SunnyShiner · 11/06/2022 23:24

How much did you cut off?

I would stay at the hospital.

QuidditchThroughtheAges · 11/06/2022 23:26

@GreenCard I read kitchen cloths as tea towels!! 🤦‍♀️

12Thorns · 11/06/2022 23:26

CleanTheChicken · 11/06/2022 23:14

Oh that's not scary at all 😳

Show quote history

Don’t worry. Mine had low platelets for years. It was never serious. We just had to be aware, and treat accordingly, thats all

Original poster
CleanTheChicken · 11/06/2022 23:31

QuidditchThroughtheAges · 11/06/2022 23:16

No you need to stay. If it starts bleeding again when you get home what will you do? Sometimes little babies like this need an operation to save the nail bed so yes you need to stay.

Plus you've signed in if you leave the report to the hv will say that you left without seeking treatment for her. We have to refer to health visitor for children that's not negotiable

Does that mean the HV will finally come see my baby? Worth going home just for that. Because I've been chasing her up for several months now but seems like she has more important things to do. A few years ago I would've stayed at the hospital no matter the wait time without hesitation but they've just let me down so many times I dread going there (or the GP) for anything now.

But yeah, I'll obviously be staying. Mostly I was just wondering if this has ever happened to someone else's baby before and what they did. I honestly can't think straight.

OP posts:
PissedOffNeighbour22 · 11/06/2022 23:34

My DP badly cut our DD's finger with nail clippers when she was tiny. The amount of blood she lost was ridiculous, seemed like it would never stop.
As long as you've stemmed the blood, I doubt there's much a&e will do. We didn't take our DD to hospital and she was fine. It did bleed a bit more over the next couple of days but healed surprisingly quickly.

In your position I'd do as you suggested in your post and go home, keeping the wound clean and reassess in the morning.

TabithaTittlemouse · 11/06/2022 23:34

You must be shattered. Can anyone take over for a bit so you can sleep?

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