Do not sleep next to babies, mother warns after son dies

A MOTHER has warned against sleeping next to babies after finding her sixweek-old son dead, an inquest heard.

A coroner expressed sympathy for Rowan Leach, 20, for having to care for her child alone after she fell asleep while feeding baby Hadley.

When she awoke several hours later she found Hadley not breathing, unconscious and face down beside her. She told his inquest she had failed to revive him with CPR while waiting for paramedics to arrive. They were also unable to revive him.

Ms Leach, from Southampton, had been raising Hadley with the help of her mother. She had brought him into her bed from his cot at 3am for a feed when she felt dizzy and ell asleep, waking up around 8am.

Hadley had been on his back on a pillow when he was being fed, but was found lying on his front.

Grahame Short, the senior coroner, recorded an open verdict and said he had no criticism of Ms Leach.