MAM Baby said they were ‘very concerned’ to hear about Megan’s injury and have requested to see the bottle
A FIRST-time mum fears she’ll be scarred for life after a baby bottle ‘e.x.p.l.o.d.e.d’ on her tummy and thighs – spraying her with s.c.a.l.d.i.n.g formula.
According to Megan Elston, on May 1st, she was using a MAM Baby bottle that she had been using for the previous three months to prepare her seven-month-old Koah Keidel’s evening meal.
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 e.x.p.l.o.d.e.d at both ends – spilling liquid over her thighs and lower tummy.
The full-time mother’s inner thighs have enormous red b.u.r.n.s on them that eventually turned into blisters, as seen in shocking images.
Megan claims her left leg felt like it was “on f.i.r.e” when she arrived at North Devon District Hospital in Barnstaple, North Devon, after having a 15-minute shower to try to cool her wounds.
She was given medication there, had her blisters removed and bandaged, and was sent home to recuperate.
Megan, who is now recovering, says she feels self-conscious about wearing dresses and shorts this summer and worries that she may be permanently damaged.
The mum-of-three is raising awareness about what happened to her after using a MAM Baby product to stop it from happening to other parents.
MAM Baby said they were ‘very concerned’ to hear about Megan’s injury and have requested her bottle so they can thoroughly test it and investigate the circumstances around the a.c.c.i.d.e.n.t.
Megan, from Westward Ho! in Devon, said: “I was just sterilising bottles like I normally do.
“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 p.o.p.p.e.d o.f.f.
“Both the top and bottom p.o.p.p.e.d off and it kind of e.x.p.l.o.d.e.d.
“I waited for twenty minutes because the water wouldn’t be warm enough to kill the bacteria if I waited for more than thirty.
“The formula went over both of my thighs and some of my belly.
Started to blister
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 f.i.r.e.
“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.”
Since the a.c.c.i.d.e.n.t, Megan says she has been back to the doctors and hospital a few times to have her b.u.r.n.s cleaned and re-dressed.
Since she says she followed the right process when creating Koah’s milk formula, Megan is now spreading awareness about what happened to her.
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.
“I am quite accustomed to performing this operation because Koah consumes a bottle at least five or six times every day.
“All I can say is make sure you’re not holding your baby when you’re putting the bottles together.
“I feel terrible and self-conscious as a result of it. These days, I’m very aware of wearing shorts and tiny outfits when I go out.
Megan says she has since reached out to MAM about her b.u.r.n.s and 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 a.c.c.i.d.e.n.t.
“Every bottle comes with detailed instructions on how to use it safely.
“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 s.c.a.l.d.i.n.g.
“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.”
