Sad: Newly Single Mum Wakes To Find 3-Month-Old Baby Lying Dead Next To Her

A three-month-old baby boy was found dead after sharing a double bed with his mother, an inquest heard.

Mother-of-four Angela Williams brought the infant into her bed because she ‘wanted to be with him’, after separating from his father. She found three-month-old Bobby Blakemore unresponsive the next morning and despite attempts at resuscitation he was declared dead at the scene.

The Bolton hearing was told Bobby was born prematurely at 34 weeks and had weighed 5lbs 3 oz, but had been feeding well and there had been no medical concerns.

Miss Williams of Clifton, near Swinton, Greater Manchester, told the hearing her son had a routine in which he would wake up in the morning at around 7am.

The company team leader said: ‘I would wake up about 12 and then 3am, he always struggled to get back to sleep after the 3 o’clock feed.’

On October 19 last year Bobby’s father Liam Blakemore, an insurance worker, took him out before returning before 1pm.

The youngster slept until 2.45pm before waking for a feed and was a ‘bit sick.’ After that he was said to be fine.

Bobby had another feed at 6.30pm before being placed in his pram where he fell asleep.

That evening Miss Williams was joined at her home by a work colleague and she had a glass of wine before going to bed – leaving her friend to sleep on her sofa.

The inquest was told that Bobby did have a Moses basket but Miss Williams said: ‘He didn’t like sleeping in it, he had a crib in our room.

‘That night I put him in our bed instead of putting him in the crib. I wanted to be with him. I was playing songs he liked listening to.’

She said she lay on her back and put herself between Bobby and the adjacent bedroom wall and covered them both with the duvet. She woke at around 6am to find Bobby unresponsive

Despite mouth-to-mouth resuscitation attempts and instructions from a 999 operator, Bobby was pronounced dead at the scene.

When asked by the coroner Alan Walsh if she had been aware of any overlying Miss Williams replied ‘no.’

She said that when she woke Bobby was in the same position in which she had left him.

She also said that he hadn’t cried in the night.

The pathologist who carried out the post mortem examination was unable to ascertain a cause of death for the child.

Recording a narrative cause of death Mr Walsh said: ‘It’s accepted in some case that prematurity is a factor in sudden unexpected death. Although born prematurely Bobby did grow and thrive and that’s largely due to the good care he was given by his parents. He was obviously well fed and cared for and well looked after by parents that cared and helped him to overcome the immediate dangers of prematurity. He was placed in bed with Angela because she wanted to be close to him that day. He usually slept in a crib, sadly he didn’t disturb his mother that night and she found him in the morning unresponsive. It’s important that some of the factors that arise in Sudden Infant Death Syndrome are given as a warning, there is nothing to suggest that is the cause of death. Prematurity is one of the factors, co-sleeping is another factor as well as overheating and smoking. I’m satisfied there was no smoking in the house. It is not right to reach any conclusion that these factors caused the SIDS. I make no comment other than that they exist and people should be aware of this.’

Source: DailyMail