Mum in bits as baby gets squeezed into glass tube for an X-ray

Have you ever wondered how babies get an X-ray taken? If so, prepare to sit back and enjoy this amazing video which reveals just how it's done.

If you're an adult who's ever broken a bone, or been faced with doctors needing a closer a look at something going on inside your body, then you might be familiar with what it looks like to have an X-ray done.

Usually, you're positioned standing, sitting or lying down, depending on what area needs to be X-rayed, and the machine is used to generate images of tissues and structures inside the body.

SWNS

I should also probably mention, none of this involves being stuffed into a clear plastic tube. That might seem like a random thing to say, but it has to be done because that's exactly what happens before X-rays are performed on babies.

Young babies typically can't be trusted to keep still while the X-rays pass through their body, so apparently this is the solution we've come up with.

A video of one baffled baby shows the process in action, with six-month-old Stevie squeezed into the tube before undergoing the X-ray at a hospital in Canada.

The youngster looks entirely unimpressed at the entire situation, but she doesn't look scared or upset.

The six-month-old has Down's Syndrome and a congenital heart defect, so she is no stranger to X-rays, but her mum still couldn't stop herself from laughing as she filmed the squished little baby from across the room.

SWNS

Formally known as a Pigg-O-Stat, the tube holding Stevie is designed to hold babies or small children completely still during X-rays.

The website for the manufacturer of the tube describes it as a 'pediatric immobilization device designed for positioning infants and young children for an appropriate X-ray without significant complications'.

Staff joked about poor Stevie being stuck in the tube as they went to remove her from the machine, pretending to read her thoughts as they said: "Can you take me out now please?"

Thinking about how it feels to squeeze into a tight pair of jeans after a big meal, I can't imagine the tube was a particularly comfortable place to be, but Stevie certainly handled it like a champ!

The tube apparently isn't the only piece of apparatus that can be used when kids have X-rays taken, as Nationwide Children's Hospital also notes that the 'Columbus Board' is sometimes used to secure the legs and ensure the child stays still.

Of the two experiences, I think the tube is the way to go.

Topics: Health, Parenting, Science, Technology

Emily Brown

Emily Brown is the Community Desk Lead at LADbible Group. Emily first began delivering news when she was just 11 years old - with a paper route. She went on to graduate with a BA Hons in English Language in the Media from Lancaster University before contributing to The Sunday Times Travel Magazine and Student Problems. She joined UNILAD in 2018 to cover breaking news, trending stories and longer form features, and now works as Community Desk Lead to commission and write human interest stories from across the globe.