For three days, the crying never truly stopped. It came in waves—sometimes quiet and strained, sometimes piercing and desperate—but it never fully eased. Doctors insisted it was colic, something many parents are told to accept and endure. Medication was prescribed, reassurance was offered, and the parents were sent home believing they had done the right thing. Still, the baby barely slept, his body tense and uncomfortable, his cries growing more alarming with each passing hour.
The parents were not careless or inexperienced. They had prepared meticulously long before their child was born, reading books, attending courses, and baby-proofing every corner of their home. And for months, everything had gone smoothly. Their baby was calm, slept well, and rarely cried. That’s why the sudden change felt so wrong. Nothing in their routine had changed, yet their child seemed to be in constant distress that no soothing could relieve.
By the third night, exhaustion had set in. The father strapped the baby to his chest and walked slowly through the apartment, letting the steady movement do what nothing else could. Gradually, the crying softened. As the baby finally calmed, the father noticed something unsettling: one leg moved freely, while the other stayed bent and unnaturally still. It wasn’t dramatic, just subtle—but it didn’t feel right.
When he removed the baby’s sock, the cause became clear. A single strand of hair had wrapped tightly around the baby’s toe, cutting off circulation and causing intense pain. It’s known as a hair tourniquet, a condition that can be easy to miss but incredibly painful for infants. Once removed and treated, the baby’s crying stopped almost immediately. What days of medication couldn’t fix was solved by noticing one tiny detail.
Today, the father shares the story not to assign blame, but to warn other parents. Not every cry is “just colic,” and not every problem is obvious. Sometimes the most serious discomfort comes from something small and easily overlooked. His message is simple: trust your instincts, look closely, and don’t dismiss persistent crying without checking even the smallest details.
