About baby eating tissue bits

[Anxiousworriedmama]

Please help me someone! AIBU?

I do suffer with OCD and health anxiety so not sure if my freak out is valid or not as I don’t think normally like a normal person. And please be gentle!

I went to softplay earlier with my son and my 8 month old. 8 month old has started putting things in his mouth but this was LIGHTENING SPEED. Put what looked like tissue crumbs/bits in his mouth and by the time i’d grabbed him he’d clearly swallowed it.

I’m so worried about him getting a blood borne disease from it like HIV/Hep. I’m not ignorant to how these viruses are transmitted but if there was bodily fluid on it?

I’m shaking and feel sick. I’m not sure if my fears are valid though because of ocd/anxiety. I don’t know what to do i’m stuck here freaking out.

AIBU or is this reasonable?

There are lots of reasons why your baby will not catch these virsuses from a tissue. It might help you to read about why. But probably better to look into how to manage your health anxiety. I do get it, but see this as a turning point for you as its a very irrational belief.

Your baby won’t get a disease from eating a few bits off a floor.
First off he has an immune system.
He also has stomach acid that’ll zap anything. Tissue is made from cellulose so will just go through him.
It’s been well documented that kids who grow up on farms — and handle a lot of muck— have strong immune systems. So by exposing your little boy to a few germs , a bit of dirt, mud, and so on you’re developing his immune system.

Hi xxx

Deep breaths. Anxiety is awful but you are spiralling massively. Sending you a big hug ❤️

The chances of catching anything from a tissue re non existent.

Thank you for your advice I really appreciate it ❤️

Thank you, it’s more so the BBVs i’m scared of. X

Thank you for being so kind 🫶

Was there blood on the tissue @Anxiousworriedmama ? X

Please don’t worry. Dried blood presents an incredibly small risk of transmitting BBVs - and that’s even before you account for the vanishingly small likelihood that the tissue had blood on it, and that the blood was from a person with a BBV.

Your baby will be fine ♥️

I have no idea to be honest.

Okay, so logically if there was blood on the tissue you would have noticed because it's a bright colour and it would have caught your eye.

Statistically, it is very unlikely that even if there was blood on a tissue, the blood contained a BBV.

In the very, very unlikely event there was blood on a tissue, the chances of contamination from dried blood are really, really, really small. There would have to be a huge amount for it to even be slight concern, and you didn't notice any so it's incredibly unlikely.

It's more than likely it was a bit of pombear ❤️

Your baby will be absolutely fine ❤️

Kids eat alsorts.

Your baby will be fine.

Please get urgent mental health help OP. You will not be able to be a mother to a young child as you are. Babies and toddlers are generally disgusting and shove everything in their mouths, eyes and ears.

Thank you. I have done so many times. Health anxiety/ocd is an absolute b**ger to deal with in terms recovery. I’ve been to a recovery centre for it. Millions of meds (which all made me so much worse so GP advised to wean off. It’s tiresome!! But also I do think genuine worries sometimes? Would a normal person think this or would they just go that’s gross and move on with their day? Genuine question. 🫶

With a baby or dog, yeah that’s gross and move on.

They'd think meh that's gross and move on.

Sorry this is affecting your life so much PP.

Poor you, this is an awful level of anxiety to have to handle. Kids make these things even harder, because they're obviously so precious to us, and we're so aware of our responsibility to protect them from harm until they're big enough to do that themselves.

There is no realistic chance that the tissue will have done your baby any harm whatsoever. Keep working on your anxiety...because it only gets worse as they get older and more mobile, I'm afraid! All good wishes to you.

That's gross, and move on.

Please seek help again OP.

Kids will eat all things and there will be many disgusting moments ahead, you need to acknowledge your anxiety, next time it could be a slug. My boy ate cat food, I rang the vet for advice! My sisters baby munched on the contents of her twins filthy nappy. I've heard many disgusting toddler stories, you'd need eyes in the back of your head. He is OK OP. I hope you feel better and get some sleep tonight.

OP a slight tangent but have you ever tried clomipramine for your health anxiety?

PS your baby absolutely will not have contracted a BBV from that piece of tissue

No I haven’t. Is that the one where they need to monitor your heart or am I thinking of something else?

Thank you 🫶

im so sorry you suffer from OCD.

You will be doing your child no end of good to expose them to everyday dirt, it improves their immune system and children born by vaginal delivery gain extra immunity because they are very close to the mothers faeces. My mil suffers from hygiene ocd and her world has became so small it’s sad.

It's definitely your anxiety talking and not any actual risk OP. Your baby will be absolutely fine.
This is definitely something that other parents wouldn't think much of.

I have a relative with OCD who for a while fixated on blood and HIV. It was awful for her so I feel for you dealing with it.

That’s quite like me to be honest. It’s so sad 😞 bless her 🫶

thank you. This is often my OCD “topic” and goodness knows where it stems from. Had it on and off for about 15 years. Hope your relative is recovered now?

No, you could possibly be thinking of quetiapine which is an antipsychotic. Clomipramine is an antidepressant but it’s very good for treating OCD and associated health anxiety. I like you suffered for many years with fixations on physical health. My main fixations have been HIV and neurological diseases. It was totally debilitating. I tried Sertraline and Mirtazapine but neither had any effect. Clomipramine has truly changed my life. Please consider another conversation with your GP. What you’re dealing with is truly hellish