Baby in Pennsylvania on road to recovery after swallowing two water beads: 'Not worth the risk'

A mother successful Pennsylvania is sounding nan siren aft her youngest child was precocious hospitalized from nan wellness situation she suffered aft she swallowed respective h2o beads.

"I genuinely can't stress capable really vulnerable these h2o beads are to kids, babies, moreover pets," Whitney Reese, an ICU caregiver and mother of three, told Fox News Digital successful an interview.

These objects, she went on, "should not beryllium successful a location aliases successful immoderate installation wherever children tin beryllium exposed. They are truthful vulnerable and not worthy nan risk, moreover nan slightest bit."

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Harper Reese, 1, was hospitalized connected Jan. 3, 2023, her first birthday, aft her parents noticed she was exhibiting unusual symptoms. 

"About 5 days anterior to her hospitalization, Harper was breaking retired successful a very mysterious rash each complete her body," Reese said.

Young Harper Reese is shown recovering successful nan infirmary aft her first room attempted to observe nan h2o beads she swallowed, her mother said. (Whitney Reese)

Even her pediatrician was stumped astatine nan time, said Reese.

"Looking back, we judge it was a guidance from nan h2o beads, making [the rash] her very first symptom," said nan mom.

Water beads were initially utilized arsenic "agricultural products intended to support ungraded moisture," according to Poison.org, a website that tracks hazardous products. 

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Florists besides usage them to support floral arrangements hydrated. In addition, nan beads are utilized arsenic fluid absorbers successful products specified arsenic diapers.

Water beads are besides "marketed arsenic children’s toys aliases therapies for children pinch sensory processing aliases autism spectrum disorders," nan website notes.

After Harper began vomiting uncontrollably, her parents took her to nan emergency room. There, her symptoms progressed. Her abdomen became distended and she became moreover much lethargic. 

Harper's abdomen became very distended arsenic doctors struggled to find retired what was causing her illness, her mother Whitney Reese told Fox News Digital. (Whitney Reese)

"There were days successful nan infirmary earlier nan h2o bead was discovered that she slept astir 98% of nan day," Reese besides said. "She had zero energy."

Doctors initially could not find what was wrong. Yet Reese had a "gut feeling" for days that her girl accidentally ingested a h2o bead, she noted.

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Reese had purchased nan h2o beads from Amazon arsenic a sensory artifact for her older children. She allowed them to play pinch nan beads only nether her supervision during nan baby's naps.

Fox News Digital reached retired to Amazon for comment.

About a period earlier Harper sewage sick, Reese said she really disposed of each nan h2o beads successful her location aft she publication societal media posts astir nan objects' imaginable dangers.

"I didn't moreover deliberation they were still successful our house," she said. "But immoderate must person gotten loose, and [Harper] someway must've recovered some." 

Water beads grow erstwhile bedewed and shrink down to a astir invisible size erstwhile dry, mom Whitney Reese of Pennsylvania said. (iStock)

Baby Harper managed to swallow 2 of nan beads; her mother still has nary thought wherever nan bhild recovered them, she said.

At nan hospital, nan baby's intestinal blockage was not showing up connected X-rays. Doctors initially suspected she had immoderate shape of a cyst, said Reese.

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"The doctors did not judge it was a h2o bead because 'we would beryllium capable to spot thing connected X-ray, aliases we would've seen it successful her exploratory laparotomy,'" Reese recounted. "They believed it was conscionable a virus." 

"It took complete 3 weeks" aft nan babe was discharged for her "vomiting to subside." 

After much than 5 days of Harper's illness, Reese said doctors were still reasoning nan baby's problems were owed to a virus.

Harper's mother had a "gut feeling" her babe woman had someway swallowed a h2o bead, moreover though nan mom had thrown nan beads distant a period earlier.   (Whitney Reese)

Reese was skeptical. She said she told doctors, "There is nary measurement this is still a microorganism erstwhile we are much than 5 days retired from nan first symptoms."

Harper past passed nan first h2o bead she had swallowed. 

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"[The] doctors couldn't judge it because they didn't spot it connected abdominal X-rays, truthful they genuinely did not judge she had an intestinal blockage," Reese explained. 

One of nan h2o beads that babe Harper swallowed is shown here.  (Whitney Reese)

It was wished that Harper had astatine slightest 1 further h2o bead remaining successful her system.

The bead expanded, said nan mom — and doctors past performed room to region this bead.

"It is taking clip for her create that spot successful different people."

Young Harper is now location from nan infirmary — and her betterment is progressing slowly, said Reese. 

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"After having a bowel resection and … each nan inflammation and edema nan h2o beads caused, her bowels were still very irritated," she said.

"It took complete 3 weeks aft she was discharged for [her] vomiting to subside." 

Baby Harper is now location from nan infirmary and is slow recovering, her mother Whitney Reese said. The small woman is shown her eat left, pinch a kid holding h2o beads shown connected right. (Whitney Reese / iStock)

Additionally, Harper developed "very terrible reflux" that was tricky to control.

She has besides developed a fearfulness of strangers and aesculapian personnel, said Reese.

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"It is taking clip for her create that spot successful different people," said nan mom.

The different members of her family are still recovering from nan ordeal arsenic well.

"I wanted to pain nan location down aliases sell, but my hubby told me, ‘No.'"

"It was a very difficult clip for nan full family including our different 2 children, who had to grip Mom and Dad switching backmost and distant and ne'er being location together," she said. 

"We are healing, and it has been a journey, but we are getting there."

Little Harper Reese pinch her brothers, Lance (holding Harper) and Hudson.  (Whitney Reese)

Before Harper came location from nan hospital, Reese deep-cleaned her home.

She said she made judge that location were nary further h2o beads near in nan house. 

"I wanted to pain nan location down aliases sell, but my hubby told me, ‘No,’" she joked. 

She said she threw distant arsenic galore things arsenic she could that she knew had travel into interaction pinch h2o beads — nan older kids' sensory table, cups, buckets and shovels — conscionable successful lawsuit immoderate beads had shrunken down and were hidden from sight.

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Reese said she remembered that her boy would often thrust artifact cars and trucks done nan h2o beads. 

She did not spot immoderate visible h2o beads — but conscionable successful case, decided to soak nan toys overnight successful nan bathtub.

The mini size of barren h2o beads makes them difficult to spot, said mom Whitney Reese. Pictured connected left, a barren h2o bead (on Reese's fingertip) and supra connected right, nan 12 h2o beads that Reese recovered hidden successful her kids' toys. (Whitney Reese)

That way, immoderate residual h2o beads would grow and beryllium easier to find, she explained.

The adjacent morning, she thoroughly washed each artifact car individually. 

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A twelve much beads were hidden successful nan toys — wholly unbeknownst to anyone successful nan family.