Infant death: Parents urged to put babies to sleep on their backs
Cork’s city coroner Dr Myra Cullinane said it was vital that parents followed baby sleep guidelines to reduce the risk of cot death.
She made her comments at an inquest into the sudden death of five-month-old Elyssa McConville, at her home in Knocknaheeny, Cork.
Elyssa was found by her mother, Susan, lying face down in her cot just before 1am on April 24, 2007.
Despite mouth-to-mouth efforts by Ms McConville, and prolonged resuscitation attempts by ambulance staff and doctors at Cork’s Mercy University Hospital (MUH), Elyssa was pronounced dead.
Assistant state pathologist Dr Margaret Bolster described it as a case of sudden unexpected infant death. She could not class it as a cot death — or sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) — because of a number of complications.
The inquest heard that Elyssa was born eight weeks’ premature. She had been in hospital with bronchialitis, a severe chest infection, for 11 days just two weeks before her death, and was discharged with an inhaler to be taken three times daily.
Ms McConville told the inquest, on the night of her death Elyssa was still chesty, but had been feeding normally. She gave her the last dose of the inhaler and put her down in her cot to sleep at about 8pm.
Ms McConville said she placed her daughter lying on her left side and supported her back with a rolled up blanket. She told Dr Cullinane she thought it would help her breathing and that she had done it before.
However, at about 12.50am, she found Elyssa lying on her front. She was unresponsive and was pronounced dead later.
A postmortem revealed low levels of paracetemol in Elyssa’s system, as well as traces of antihistamine found in medications like Dozol or Benylin.
Dr Bolster said while they could have interfered with Elyssa’s breathing, they were well below dangerous or fatal limits. The mild chest infection was not enough to cause the baby’s death. On the balance of probabilities, death was probably due to natural causes, she said.
Researchers estimate six out of 10 of all cot death cases in Europe could probably be attributed to laying babies on their front or side, rather than their backs.
Dr Cullinane described Elyssa’s death as a tragedy and offered her deepest sympathies to the family.
She said it is not recommended to use a towel or blanket to prop babies on their sides when they are sleeping. All the recommendations are that babies are left on their backs.
A verdict of death due to natural causes was recorded.
Stop smoking during pregnancy.
Fathers should also stop.
Do not let anyone smoke in the same room as your baby.
Place your baby on its back to sleep.
Do not let your baby get too hot.
Keep your baby’s head uncovered.
Place your baby with its feet to the foot of the cot.
Preferably sleep your baby in a cot in your bedroom for the first six months.
Do not bed share if your baby is less than eight weeks.
Do not sleep with baby on sofas, armchairs, or or settees.
If your baby is unwell, seek medical advice quickly.
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