UPDATE: Mum is 'distraught and inconsolable' after newborn dies in baby sling

Her friend has spoken about the tragedy

May 02 2019

The mum-of-three who carried her newborn baby to a postnatal check-up in a baby sling, only to realise he had died when she handed him to the nurse is “distraught and inconsolable”.

The mother, from NSW's Central Coast unwrapped her three-week-old son from the material baby sling at the Long Jetty Community Health Centre.

But the nurse realised he had stopped breathing at some point during the short walk to the Early Childhood Centre. They performed CPR but tragically he could not be resuscitated.

The 36-year-old mother told police she carried him in a 'fabric baby sling on her front' on April 8.

 

 

Before the discovery, she spoke to nurses about her son for between eight and 10 minutes before handing him over, The Daily Telegraph reported.

Staff at the centre performed CPR on the little boy but he could not be revived.

Police have not ruled out the sling's potential contribution to the little boy's death, but they are not treating his death as suspicious.

“It’s a horribly tough time for her and the family, she is beside herself, it’s still so raw, and so is her husband.

“She had carried the baby properly on her front in the sling, she’s a mother-of-three, totally devoted to her children, they are her world.”

The family buried their son last week after a post-mortem was completed.

Red Nose Australia recommends parents do not put babies in slings until they are at least four months old, describing them as a “suffocation risk”.

 

 

GUIDELINES FOR USING A BABY SLING

  • Read the instructions. Double-check the baby sling's weight minimum before placing your baby in it.
  • Keep your baby's face in view You should be able to see your baby’s face simply by looking down. To avoid the risk of suffocation, ensure your baby’s face, nose and mouth remain uncovered by both the sling and your body and make sure their airway is unobstructed.
  • Be careful when you bend down. Bend at the knees, rather than at the waist, if you pick up something while holding your baby in a sling. This will help keep your baby settled securely in the sling.

 

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