Heartbreaking Tale: Newborn Boy’s Suffering Exposed After Consuming Toxic Baby Formulas

A mother has expressed enduring feelings of guilt after discovering that her newborn suffered for months due to consuming baby formula that had been recalled over safety concerns.

After giving birth in November, Catherine Alexander began feeding her baby boy, Arlo, with Cow & Gate First Infant Milk. Having used this formula for her first child, the 24-year-old believed it to be a reliable choice. However, once Arlo was home, he began to experience severe symptoms, including projectile vomiting and intense crying.

Alarmed by her son’s distress, Catherine, a health and social care student, rushed him to the hospital. There, Arlo was treated for a bacterial infection, which Catherine now suspects was actually a reaction to the formula.

Arlo remained hospitalized for five days, requiring oxygen and a feeding tube. The medical team eventually switched him to SMA Little Steps First Infant Milk.

The baby remained in hospital for five days on oxygen and a feeding tube, before being switched to SMA Little Steps First Infant Milk. 

However, after being discharged from hospital Arlo’s symptoms continued to worsen, so Catharine decided to try Aptamil’s First Infant Formula instead. 

For three months, Arlo was vomiting daily and battled consistent diarrhoea and constipation, leaving Catharine confused as to the cause of his unexplained symptoms. 

It wasn’t until March that Catharine realised all three brands of milk she had fed her newborn had since been recalled due to the potential presence of cereulide – a toxin causing nausea, vomiting and abdominal cramps if consumed.  

Baby Arlo was in ‘agony’ for three months after being fed formula milks which were since recalled over potential toxin contamination

Mother-of-two Catharine Alexander said she will never shift the ‘guilt’ she now has after unknowingly feeding her newborn the toxic milk 

Catharine, 24, had given her baby boy Cow & Gate’s First Infant Milk immediately after giving birth in November – one of the milks later recalled 

The Food Standard Agency (FSA) confirmed that certain formula batches from SMA, Aptamil and Cow & Gate may have contained cereulide, and urged parents to contact their GP or NHS 111 if they have fed the milk to their babies. 

After Catharine checked what she had fed her son, she found the Cow & Gate First Infant Milk was the recalled batch number, and believes the other two were as well.  

Since switching to another brand of formula, Catharine said her baby’s symptoms disappeared overnight. 

Nestlé, which manufactures SMA, said all affected batches are now being systemically tested to confirm the absence of cereulide. 

Danone, which produces Cow & Gate and Aptamil, admitted low levels of cereulide were identified in some specific recalled batches. 

The mother said she now grapples with ‘mum guilt’ every day over feeding her baby the recalled milk, and believes the brands should compensate affected families. 

Catharine, who lives in Manchester, said: ‘Whilst I was in hospital [after giving birth] everything was okay. He was being sick but I thought that was because he’d just come out of the womb. 

‘I came home and the next day he started refusing to feed. 

Arlo was hospitalised for five days while being treated for a bacterial infection and was put on a feeding tube – which Catharine now believes was caused by the milk 

‘He was projectile vomiting and screaming in agony and my partner decided to take him to hospital because we didn’t know what was going on with him. 

‘With him being premature too, we thought it was best to take him in. He’d actually lost weight due to the amount he’d been vomiting. 

‘When we went to hospital, they ran tests on him and his infection markers were up. 

‘The toxins caused a bacterial infection inside of him. He was in hospital for five days on oxygen and antibiotics, he was very poorly.’

Catharine added: ‘It hit me like a tonne of bricks. I felt like I’d fed him some poison when all I want to do is protect my babies.

‘I tried every single milk brand. Every single one that’s been recalled, I gave Arlo unfortunately. This is something no mother should go through.

‘He’d had symptoms every day for three months. We’ve had long, sleepless nights and back and forth to the doctors with him.

‘I’m still going through the “mum guilt” now – I don’t think I’ll ever shift that.’

Catharine now worries about the long-term impact of the milks on her baby’s future health

Catharine fears her baby’s health could have worsened if he had carried on feeding from the same milk, adding that he was screened for sepsis at the hospital. She is also concerned about the long-term effects that the recalled milk will have on him. 

The FSA said both Danone and Nestle have confirmed they are no longer using ingredients from the affected supplier, and that Aptamil, Cow & Gate and SMA products now on sale do not contain the contaminated ingredient. 

A spokesperson for Nestlé said: ‘We are very sorry to hear about any cases where babies are poorly, and our teams will work closely with any families who report these types of concerns to us. 

‘On January 5, Nestlé voluntarily recalled certain batches of SMA formula because we found that one of the ingredients supplied to us was not of the right quality and did not meet the standards we require. 

‘Quality and safety is non-negotiable and that is why we have acted quickly and decisively with this precautionary recall. 

‘We have discontinued sourcing the ingredient from the affected supplier and all batches of the ingredient (from other suppliers) are now being systematically tested to confirm the absence of cereulide. 

‘As the UK HSA are reporting, the symptoms are generally self-limiting and usually resolve within 24 hours after last consumption.’ 

A Danone North Europe spokesperson said: ‘We take all complaints seriously and we have been in contact with Catharine regarding her concerns. 

‘We understand how worrying it is for parents when their babies are ill. We want to reassure all parents that all our baby formulas are produced under strict food safety and quality standards and undergo rigorous checks before leaving our factories. 

‘Low levels of cereulide were identified in some specific recalled batches and we have replaced them with new products. All products available for purchase are safe to use. 

‘To date there are no confirmed cases of sickness or symptoms linked to our products.

‘If their baby has no symptoms parents should not be concerned. If a baby is unwell we would recommend parents speak to their healthcare professional.

‘To check if a product is part of the recall, parents can refer to the Cow and Gate or Aptamil website.’