My baby was diagnosed with lead poisoning

"I'm sorry to tell you this, but India's blood lead level test came back high."


The words of India's doctor on the other end of the phone pierced my heart.  I remained calm as he went through a list of questions as to how my daughter could have possibly got lead poisoning.

Do you have peeling paint or has she eaten paint chips?  Do you live near a gas station or highway or was your house previously a mechanic's shop?  Does she eat a lot of dirt?  Are there any toys she chews on that could be a problem?

No, no, no, and no.  Not that I know of. 

I was baffled, the doctor was baffled.  He ordered a venous re-test as soon as possible, citing that sometimes the heel stick can inaccurately measure blood lead levels.

His calm, gentle, reassuring but yet very concerned voice left me slightly unsettled, but still with peace.  I had NO IDEA what a BIG deal lead poisoning is.

We almost didn't get the lead test done.  At India's one year well child visit, her doctor had asked if we had had a lead test done yet.  No, we hadn't.  He said he's never really seen a problem with it, but the state likes all children to get them.  He ordered the lab and we waited and waited for her name to be called at the lab.

India started to get impatient, walking the hallways, and getting frustrated we weren't letting her roam free.

We considered just skipping the test since we assumed this would be fruitless and there was no possible way our daughter had any exposure to lead.  Was a lead test really necessary?

It was a few days later when I got the results of her lead test with that devastating phone call. 

As quickly as the phone call ended, I was online reading and devouring every bit of information about lead poisoning. 

For every 10 points of lead, a child loses 3 IQ points.
Lead levels take years to go down.
Sometimes it's impossible to find the source of lead.
Clean everything with rubber gloves and wet paper towels.
Lead takes 20 years to leave the bones.
Lead is particularly harmful in early childhood as brain development is at its peak.

I didn't know the accuracy of all that I read, but it was enough to make me not want to eat, sleep or do another stinking thing until I found the source. 

In between gathering information, I was using the lead test kits I bought from a store and testing everything.  Toys (I heard of several families that found some toys that were the SOURCE of their child's lead poisoning - eek!  All the more reason for me me to be a picky Mama when it comes to the toys India plays with), paint, door frames, electrical cords, windows - everything I could think of.

No matter what, from all I gathered from people's personal stories I was reading, this was a nightmare and was going to take years to lower her levels and we still ran the risk of delayed development, behavioral problems and even fertility issues.

Any level of lead in the blood isn't good, but if your levels get to 10, it's a red flag and measures must be taken.  Around 70 is where brain damage begins.

India's level came back at 35. Dangerous and alarming.

How could this happen to us?!? 

I have spent much time making sure India's environment is safe and the best for her.  She eats mostly organic and whole foods; nothing processed and no sugar.  I wean her from the pacifier instead of giving her antibiotics.  She wears cloth diapers, I don't clean with chemicals, we make sure she gets enough Vitamin D, omega-3s and healthy fats.  She doesn't have cheap toys (some people laugh at this one, but after this scare, limiting plastic toys has merit beyond just the dangers of BPA).   She's within a few feet of me for the majority of hours in a day.  We teach her American Sign Language and Chinese and limit the amount of TV she watches. I'm a car seat freak, making sure of every last detail for her safety.   Goodness, the child doesn't even drink anything but water and breast milk - not even watered down juice!

We sure had a bit of anxiety in the mean time.  There are a lot of 'what ifs' in this situation: what if she had lead poisoning and we skipped the test?  How much damage could be done before we noticed?  What if her blood lead levels continue to go up?  What is causing this?  How could have WE prevented this?
I started her on iron and calcium supplements and upped her Vitamin C intake.  I thoroughly washed every stinkin' toy, dusted every nook, swept 3x a day and washed my floors. 

For a few days, I was pretty down.  Who wants to hear such news about anyone, let alone their own child?  We prayed for our little girl, hugged and kissed her even more (I didn't think that was possible) and hoped for the best as we waited for the results to come back for her second, more accurate test.

To our complete and utter amazement, her next test came back fine!!!  I could hardly contain myself when my husband came home and I told him the good news: our Pookie was fine!  Thank you, Jesus!!!  

 **I know you just got good news, but keep reading, I have more to share!**

A lead test at one year of age is standard in many areas, but as I was talking to several other mommy friends that live all across the US, several hadn't had a lead test done on their children. 

Someone asked me if I would get the test all over again, in spite of the trauma it caused.  My answer is YES!  After learning the dangers of lead poisoning and reading of many 'healthy' families whose children came back with elevated blood lead levels, I was glad we did the test in spite of the stress. 

And if anything, it got my house really, really clean. :)

My happy, healthy girl!  No lead poisoning!!!

Now, time for my PSA:   I didn't know much about lead poisoning, and I'm guessing many reading this are in the same boat as me.  Unfortunately, lead poisoning is often bypassed (in the county I live in, only 12-18% of children are tested for lead), but over 310,000 American children have too much lead in their blood.  I would highly encourage a lead test for your child if they are under age 6, especially if you suspect lead in your home.   If you're pretty natural and medically hands-off like I am, this non-invasive test is worth it in my opinion.  Please share this information!

It may turn out to be nothing, but what if it's not?

Do you know of anyone who has had lead poisoning?  Did your children get their blood lead levels checked?