TLC Reality Star’s 10-Month-Old Baby Hospitalized After Falling off Bed

Unexpected star Myrka Cantu is advocating for safe sleep practices after her 10-month-old son Alejandro was hospitalized with a fractured skull from falling out of the bed in which they were co-sleeping.

The 22-year-old, who appeared on Season 4 of the TLC reality show about young mothers, took to Instagram Saturday with an emotional video recalling the traumatic night Alejandro fell.

“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,” Cantu said in her video, adding that she “definitely should have taken the fact that he’s crawling into consideration when co-sleeping.”

Cantu remembered, “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.”

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Cantu rushed her son to the ER, at which point he was transferred to a nearby children’s hospital. “He did fracture his skull and he got a brain bleed,” Cantu shared. “I’m not going to lie to y’all and tell y’all that I’ve been perfectly fine, because I’ve been crying like there’s absolutely no tomorrow.”

“I’m running on no sleep. Literally been awake for a full 48 hours at this point,” she continued. “I haven’t ate since 7 o’clock yesterday and I’m not f—king hungry. I don’t understand how I could even possibly eat.”

Cantu assured her followers that her son is doing well and hasn’t even required pain medication. “He is doing extremely well, and it’s not something that surgery can fix or anything like that,” she explained. “We haven’t even given him pain medication; they’ve just been giving him fluids and checking his vitals.”

Cantu revealed in her caption that she “really contemplated” sharing this moment with her followers, but that she wanted others to learn from her experiences. “Bring on the mom shaming at this point I deserve it,” she wrote.

“He’s the first one I have ever co slept with as a baby and I promise you he’s the last,” Cantu went on. “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.”

“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 concluded. “For now it’s FML and give me a FKN break.”