TAKING her phone out, Suzanne Boyd snaps a photo of her baby girl’s newly pierced ears.
Admiring the brand-new pearl studs, her dad Tyrell, 38, was equally chuffed with their daughter Raelyn’s new bling.
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“She looks like a princess,” he says while holding their daughter with Suzanne, 36, agreeing she’s “definitely the prettiest baby in town.”
Little did the doting mum and dad know that the seemingly innocent decision to pierce their daughter’s ears at three months old would leave the tot fighting for her life.
It was nine months later, when Raelyn had turned one, that the family was thrown into peril.
“I was doing my regular morning routine when I heard my husband shout,” Suzanne says.
TERRIFYING WHEEZING
“Tyrell was feeding Raelyn and asked if I could hear what he could.
“That’s when I first heard it, a wheezing, loud noise coming out of my little girl.
“I was terrified. Raelyn was fine one moment, and the next she was making these noises as if she couldn’t breathe.
“Raelyn was normally a happy and healthy baby, and she was still acting like her usual self, so I thought it might pass soon.”
Believing that her wheezing might be down to flu season, the couple decided to take their daughter to the doctor to be on the safe side.
“My little one was put on steroid treatment and we were happy thinking this was the end of the ordeal,” Suzanne, from Augusta, Georgia, says.
“We carried on with our everyday lives but I couldn’t help being a paranoid mum when Raelyn’s breathing wasn’t getting any better.
“I hated seeing her like this and not knowing what’s wrong.”
The couple rushed their little girl back to the paediatrician when her breathing hadn’t improved a week later.
The doctor recommended an X-ray to rule out any possible causes, but the mum and dad couldn’t have expected what came next.
“My stomach dropped when I looked at the X-ray and saw the tiny object,” stay-at-home mum Suzanne says.
HORROR X-RAY
“It was the back of the earring, I couldn’t understand how it could have possibly got there.
“We had Raelyn’s ears pierced when she was three months old but we have always been careful.
“She is not strong enough to take off her own earring.”
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Suzanne and church facilities coordinator Tyrell were told to go home and wait for her to pass the earring, but 20 minutes later, they got a phone call from the doctor.
“He explained that the earring might be stuck in Raelyn’s lung and that we should take her to the hospital immediately,” the mum says.
“His words sent shivers all over me and we changed route heading for the children’s hospital.
“I was thinking of every possible scenario and all the things that could go wrong.
“I looked at Raelyn sitting in the back seat, making the rattling noise which filled me with more worry with every breath.”
At the hospital, a second X-ray confirmed the earring was lodged in Raelyn’s right lung.
Doctors explained that the earring was lodged deeper than they thought
Suzanne Boyd
“I explained to the doctor that it was the back of an earring and that I don’t even wear earrings in case she pulls them out,” Suzanne.
EMERGENCY SURGERY
The doctor said that Raelyn would need surgery to remove the earring from the lung using a magnet.
“I hated the idea of my baby being put under anaesthesia at just one year old,” the mum admits.
“We were baffled as to how the earring had ended up in her lung if she had swallowed it.”
Doctors explained that while they were unsure, Raelyn may well have inhaled it through her nose and they were lucky she hadn’t developed pneumonia.
“I couldn’t believe it, we vacuum the house every day to make sure things like this don’t happen,” Suzanne says.
“I thought it could have been asthma as I am also asthmatic, but I never expected it to be an earring.
“Tyrell tried to reassure me, but the mum-guilt started taking over me as I watched my little girl being taken to surgery.
“I know she likes to rub the back of her ear as a comfort, so she must have pulled the back of the earring herself.
“She always used to pull on my earrings which is why I took them out, but didn’t expect her to pull out her own.”
Suzanne and Tyrell sat in the waiting room for two long hours before they were reunited with their daughter.
Safe practices when getting a child’s ears pierced
- Age: Traditions vary, however it is medically recommended that parents wait until children are able to manage and help care for the piercing on their own
- Reputable place: Be sure to select a reputable place with sterile practices. If you are unsure, ask about their sterilisation procedures
- Piercing technique: A needle piercing technique is recommended over the use of gun piercing for children because it tends to reduce the risk of infection and scarring
- Earrings: Choose earrings made of hypoallergenic materials, such as sterling silver and 14-, 18- or 24-karat gold. These types of metals are not likely to cause an allergic reaction. AVOID Nickel.
- After-care: Keep earrings in for four to six weeks and clean the area with a saline solution twice a day. Even if your child is old enough, don’t leave this responsibility entirely up to them
- Monitor: It can take several months for piercings to fully heal so keep an eye on both lobes and cover the piercing when playing sports until you’re over the six week mark, whereby you can remove the piercing for extra safety
“I felt tears of joy when my little girl was returned to me safe and sound,” the mum says.
“Doctors explained that the earring was lodged deeper than they thought, and had to use a bigger magnet to fish it out.
XX explain why they use a magnet XX
“We decided there and then that there would be no more earrings for our little one.”
Raelyn was kept in overnight to make sure that she had fully recovered post-surgery.
“I looked at her lying in her little bed and thought about how strong she is, only a year old and been through so much,” Suzanne says.
MAKING CHANGES
“I let out a big sigh when doctors said Raelyn is well enough to go home.
“In the car ride back home, I was happy but knew my next step as a mum is to make sure this doesn’t happen again.
“I told Tyrell I would never wear earrings again and promised to vacuum the house twice a day from then on.”
Raelyn looked so pretty with her pearl earrings, I couldn’t bear leaving her without any jewellery
Suzanne Boyd
The couple spent the following few days baby-proofing every surface.
“But Raelyn looked so pretty with her pearl earrings, I couldn’t bear leaving her without any jewellery,” Suzanne says.
“I bought her a new pair of pearl studs but this time they had screw-on backs, to make sure even our strong girl can’t pull them off.”
A couple of weeks later, the couple returned for some further tests which showed Raelyn had a clean bill of health.
“We took Raelyn back home and could finally relax after the whole ordeal, knowing our baby is safe,” Suzanne says.
“It had been a very traumatic few weeks and I hate to think that at one point I thought I could lose my little girl because of an earring.
“Weeks on from the operation, I watched Raelyn eat and play without any breathing problems, and thought how blessed we are that everything went back to normal.
“I’m so proud of my baby girl. She’s been so strong and I’ll never let anything like this happen again.”
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