Former Unexpected star Myrka Cantu is swearing off co-sleeping after her 10-month-old son fell off the bed last week and suffered a fractured skull and brain bleed.
Myrka, who announced in August that she and husband Juan Castillo are expecting their fourth child, took to social media over the weekend, telling fans that, “when it rains, it pours.” The mom of three then revealed that her infant son Alejandro is currently in the hospital after falling off of her bed while co-sleeping.
“ … Now, I’m always one that says do what is easiest for you and for your kids and I’ve always defended co-sleep if it’s for your sanity and what is easier for you, if it’s done safely,” Myrka said. “I definitely should have taken the fact that [my son is] crawling into consideration when co-sleeping. I woke up in the middle of the night, I don’t know if he started playing or if he was sleep-crawling, and he straight up fell off the bed.”
Mryka said that she ended up taking Alejandro to the emergency room, where he was then transferred to a children’s hospital in Corpus Christi, Texas. It was there, she said, that her son was diagnosed with a fractured skull and brain bleed.
“I’m not gonna lie to y’all and tell y’all that I’m perfectly fine, because I’ve been crying like there’s absolutely no tomorrow,” Myrka said. “I’m running on no sleep, literally been awake for a full 48 hours at this point … .”
Myrka told followers that Alejandro was set to be released the following morning and that while his injuries were not “something that surgery can fix,” she claimed that he had been “acting 100 [percent] like himself” and wasn’t fussy. She also said that he hadn’t needed any pain medication in the hospital, though he had been receiving fluids and having his vitals checked regularly.
She also assured fans that Alejandro is “definitely sleeping in his crib now.”
Myrka explained at the end of her video that while she doesn’t typically post content of this nature, she hoped that by doing so, mothers who may feel as though they “can’t catch a f**king break” or believe they aren’t doing enough would feel seen.
“ … we’re gonna get through this,” she added. “It’s gonna be fine. We’re gonna be okay.”
In the caption of her video, Myrka encouraged fans to “bring on the mom-shaming,” claiming that, “at this point, I deserve it.” She also explained that Alejandro is the first one of her children that she’s co-slept with and that he will also be the last.
“As safe as I was nothing could have prevented him falling off while we were asleep, other than him sleeping in his own crib ALONE,” she added. “My baby is so strong I’m so inspired by him and I know we will look back at this teaching moment and be grateful for it ONE DAY,” she continued. “For now it’s FML and give me a FKN break.”
Myrka received quite a lot of supportive comments on her post, with many people encouraging the former TLC star to give herself some grace.
“Don’t be so hard on yourself love,” one person wrote. “We are mommas and we learn from our mistakes no one is perfect. It’s a curb in the road but it will all pass. Sending you lots of love and prayers.”
“I am so sorry girl prayers to you and your baby!” another commented. “Thankfully he is doing well don’t be hard on yourself accidents happen you’re an amazing mama!”
Others gave Myrka credit in the comments for the steps she took after her son’s accident.
“Thank God you were brave enough to take him in and he is going to be ok,” one person wrote. “Know you are doing a great job and will continue to be a great mom. We all go through it.”
“You immediately recognized that it wasn’t working for you and you are taking steps to fix it,” another added. “Don’t let social media make you feel like a bad mom.”
Watch Myrka’s Instagram video below.
RELATED STORY: ‘Unexpected’ Star Myrka Cantu Reveals She’s Expecting Fourth Child After Welcoming Baby No. 3 in January
(Photos: Instagram)
15 Responses
I guess that will be 4 babies on the welfare rolls.
I don’t find this story to be the slightest bit believable. Do you realize the amount of force needed to fracture a skull? How is falling from a bed going to do that? Was her bed on the roof of the house?
Why are you all jumping to validate her account of what happened?
Hey, I’ve had two kids. They fell off tables, beds sure. Yes, it happens. This story is bogus, my kids never had a scratch from falls.. she is lying IMO. Yes, babies fall and roll off things even when you think you’re doing everything right sometimes these things happen but they don’t get injured this bad, unless it’s really high and concrete or something possibly..
How many years have the medical profession stayed not to co-sleep with babies and people still do it, what is wrong with them.😡
The reason is always cultural, but that doesn’t protect the baby. It’s NOT worth the risk. We have learned so much to prevent SIDS, and to see people ignore the hard learned knowledge is frustrating. My mother was a CCRN, who spent time in NICUs.
There are so many things that send babies to the hospital that parents can NOT control, but cps Lee ping is a deliberate choice.
Sigh last line : but cosleeping is a deliberate choice
My kid rolled off the end of my bed once… thankfully into the pile of pillows and blankets I kept there since I didn’t want them on the bed in order to co-sleep. My kid never settled in the crib and my midwife told me to co-sleep so we could finally get some sleep. Needless to say, when my kid started crawling at 10 months I put a toddler bed that was low to the ground next to my bed for them. They would start out in that bed but would climb into mine soon after. Unfortunately some kids are just impossible to get in their own beds. Mine still insists on sleeping in my bed as a pre-teen. Nothing wrong with a parent who makes the choice to co-sleep. Practice safe sleep conditions and put extra safeguards in and should be fine. Cribs can also be dangerous as my cousins baby broke their hip and leg in the bars of the crib then a year later that same kid climbed out of the crib and broke a vertebrae in their neck and collarbone. So no matter what, choose what works for you and your kids. Some are easier and some are wild and adventurous.
How high is this bed for there to be such a substantial injury?
I’ve had one of my babies roll off my bed when I turned for 2sec to address my toddler, but the bed was about half a metre off the floor and onto carpet. He didn’t even cry.
A fractured skull and brain bleed is a big deal! Glad the little guy is ok.
Was going to say this! That’s a bad injury for sure. Maybe it was the way in which he fell, landing on a vulnerable spot?
Thank you for saying this, I’m a mom and I said the same thing, it’s embarrassing to admit it but both my babies fell off things and never got hurt or even bruised or scratched
10 month olds can also creep out of a crib so nothing’s really baby proof. You can take measures to prevent these kinds of things but nothing is 100% guaranteed. Maybe put a mattress or a folded blanket next to the bed in case the baby rolls. Sometimes sleeping with the baby is the only way you and the baby can get some sleep, I’ve been there.
But girl, you don’t need more kids. You have 3 kids, the younger of them 10 month old, and you are already pregnant again? Stop it.
I am sure there will be a ton of people commenting that she should have known better, that it is dangerous to co sleep. I also know the dangers of co sleeping but I do it anyway. We are on our third child and I never wanted to do it in since the beginning but lack of sleep from both mother and baby can lead to more dangerous instances than falling out of the bed. I will say that when they crawl I am way more paranoid during those times and that is when I try to transition into a bed. Otherwise I am still co sleeping with my 5 month old who is still not rolling over yet. I would love to have them in a bed but sometimes it just will make you go insane if they don’t settle and you lose sleep. I hope her baby ends up being OK. I would blame myself forever. I am not the type to co sleep out of my necessity for wanting to be close to my baby. I need it for my sanity.
It’s only ok until it isn’t, every time you do this your risking your child, you may have got away with your three so far but it’s too late once it happens, surely prevention is best because you may be ok now but you don’t know what tomorrow could bring and your dicing with your children’s lives, but hey ho it’s ok because it hasn’t happened to you.
There are ways to do it safely for sure. I would never let the baby be on a side where he could roll off. Can’t have too soft of a mattress, can’t be under the influence of anything, not overweight, overly tired, etc. I did it due to breastfeeding all night long otherwise I would have been so sleep deprived it would not have been safe for my daughter and I.
Ugh. Poor kid.
Yeah, gotta be extra vigilant with babies.
Hopefully he heals and grows normally.
With my oldest, I guess I fell asleep holding him. It happens, he was not a sleeper, wouldn’t nap for more that 20 minutes, didn’t sleep at night, wouldn’t sleep at all without being held and I was exhausted for the first year pretty much. If I got the opportunity to sit down, I was asleep.
Anyways, woke up to my arm extended towards the floor. He had rolled down to my forearm and I was holding him pretty much in my palm. Oh he was so lucky I woke up when I did. Ofc, that was the end of his nap as well.