# I cut off my baby's circulation in a Mei Tai - why did this happen??



## eclipse (Mar 13, 2003)

I'm new to Mei Tai wearing (though not to baby wearing!). I've only had mine for a few days, and I had something really scary happen today - any insight to prevent it from happening again would be helpful.

I took the kids out shopping and put ds (13 weeks old, maybe 13ish lbs) in the Mei Tai, facing in because I thought he was sleepy. By the time I got from the car to the store, he was wriggling around and fussy, so I turned him facing out. While this is the first time I've had him facing out in the Mei Tai, he has faced out before in the Maya Wrap and the Baby Bjorn. He seems to be at an age where he really likes to see what's going on.









Anyhow, I went about my business shopping, talking to the kids, etc, and he fell asleep facing outward. He didn't seem uncomfortable, and has done this before in the BB, so I just left him there. We were in the store for about an hour, and it wasn't until we were about to check out that I noticed that his feet were horribly swollen and PURPLE. Had I not left him barefoot, in defiance of all the tsking old ladies who always insist my kids are freezing to death (this is southern California - it may be January, but it isn't cold!), I don't know when I would have noticed, especially since I had planned on dropping our purchases at the car and walking around the mall for a bit with the kids.

Anyhow, I pulled him out of the carrier ASAP, and pushed up his pant legs. It was then that I was horrified to discover that his ENTIRE LEGS were swollen, mottled, and purple. It was so bad that he had busted blood vessels. Kinda like when your breasts get ridiculously engorged (don't tell me I'm the only one who has had blood vessels burst in my breasts





















). So, I laid him down on an empty checkout lane and started vigorously massaging his legs and feet and the swelling went down and they pinked up fast. It wasn't until then that he started wailing - probably felt like when your feet fall asleep. I was crying a bit too, telling him how sorry I was







.

Anyway, has this ever happened to anyone else? Does anyone know why it happened? It didn't feel cinched too tightly, and I even checked his diaper to make sure it wasn't that that was snapped too tightly (dh had changed him, and sometimes puts them on more tightly than I would like). He didn't seem crooked in it, or anything weird. There was nothing to indicate that something might be wrong with how he was positioned. But now I'm scared to use my Mei Tai







.


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## monkaha (Jan 22, 2004)

Hugs mama. Basically the same thing happened to me. DH looked at DS and said, "Are his legs supposed to look like that?" I don't know if it's just from front facing or what-I never had problems when I carried him facing in (on my front or my back) I'm really interested in what the more experienced mei-tei mama's have to say.


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## the_lissa (Oct 30, 2004)

Where did you have the straps tied? I usually try to put the straps on or under dd's butt. I sometime sput them on her legs and she gets red marks, but never to the point of cutting off her circulation.

Sorry I can't be of much help.


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## eclipse (Mar 13, 2003)

it was tied across his front - like, had he been facing in, it would have been right above his butt. maybe i'll just stick to facing in in the MT until he gets a little bigger and try again.

i'm sorry it happened to your ds too Monica - scary, isn't it?


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## monkaha (Jan 22, 2004)

Yeah, dude, purple is my favorite color, but not for my kid's legs!


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## Tupelo Honey (Mar 24, 2004)

How were his legs positioned? Most MTs are too wide for facing out unless you do something to make the body more narrow, like twisting the bdy or tying a strip of cloth around it to cinch it in.


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## eclipse (Mar 13, 2003)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Tupelo Honey*
How were his legs positioned? Most MTs are too wide for facing out unless you do something to make the body more narrow, like twisting the bdy or tying a strip of cloth around it to cinch it in.


i had just turned him around and scrunched the body a bit - his legs didn't look like they were splayed wide or anything, but maybe that was the problem. Would he be secure facing out with his legs crossed or knee to chest like in a kangaroo carry in a sling?


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## ~Scapegoat~ (Jul 30, 2004)

Yes he would be, do a search for mei tai froggy and it will pull up lots of sites that talk about forward facing in a mt.










That would have scared me too.


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## monkaha (Jan 22, 2004)

: I'm almost certain the width of the mt I used is to blame for our um incident. I like the idea to twist the body of the mt.


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## earthmama369 (Jul 29, 2005)

That happened to me, too, when I tried out a MamaBaby wrap for the first time when Q was tiny. A woman came up to me and said, "Is her leg ok?" I looked down and it was purple. I felt horrible! I think in that case it was just that the fabric was stretchy, not like the Maya Wrap I was used to, and it pulled too tightly around her leg when she fidgeted after I put her in. Now I'm paranoid and am always checking her legs, nearly a year later, no matter what carrier I'm using!


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## thorn (Dec 28, 2004)

I always used the froggy carry (legs tucked in) when doing a front carry in the mei tai.


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## gmcriss (May 7, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *eclipse*
i had just turned him around and scrunched the body a bit - his legs didn't look like they were splayed wide or anything, but maybe that was the problem. Would he be secure facing out with his legs crossed or knee to chest like in a kangaroo carry in a sling?

Yes, legs in, facing out is safe. Just be sure when you tie the shoulder straps you tie them around his body to ensure no falling out of the side. See www.kozycarrier.com their instruction page gives info on this

Glenda


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## eclipse (Mar 13, 2003)

thanks ladies! i'll try the froggy carry next time he wants to be facing out


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## loni1090 (Apr 24, 2005)

Wow, thanks for posting that! It is good to know and now I will be more cautious when I use my MT


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