Sengkang Baby’s Cause Of Death An Open Verdict, Coroner Flags Unsafe Sleeping Practices
Babies require constant attention as they’re in a particularly vulnerable state, and how they sleep matters a lot.
Unfortunately, one baby’s sudden death in a Sengkang flat last year raised some issues with sleeping practices, which may have contributed to his death.
He was discovered by his helper, who was in another room at the time.
Although a state coroner couldn’t determine the exact cause of death after investigations, they did say that sleeping practices were a likely cause, Channel NewsAsia (CNA) reported.
The coroner hence ruled the death an open verdict.
Baby in Sengkang was found lying prone on bed
The state coroner, Kamala Ponnampalam, made public their findings this week regarding the baby’s death, who was aged 2 months and 3 weeks old.
Image for illustration purposes.
Source
At around 7pm on 17 May 2019, the family’s domestic helper fed the baby with about 130ml of breast milk through a bottle.
She burped him and waited for him to fall asleep, before placing him on a mattress prone.
His head was turned to the right.
The helper then spent about an hour doing chores and helping the baby’s 2 sisters take a shower, before returning to the bedroom.
She had been wondering about why the baby wasn’t crying.
To her horror, she found the baby was lying face down on the bed, and after lifting him up, saw that he wasn’t breathing. His face was also pale.
Emergency aid couldn’t save baby
In a panic, the helper called the baby’s mother and told her to come home immediately.
Soon afterwards, the baby’s father came home and was shocked to see that the helper was crying while the baby was in her arms.
Upon seeing that milk was dripping from his nose and that he wasn’t breathing, he took the baby to the hospital.
Unfortunately, emergency aid wasn’t enough to save the baby, and he was declared dead at 9.51pm.
No foul play detected in Sengkang baby death
The coroner declared an open verdict as she found no obvious or significant abnormalities.
This was after a thorough investigation, which included the following:
- Autopsy with ancillary tests
- Circumstances review
- Clinical history
Because the baby had no injuries or abrasions around the nose and mouth, the coroner couldn’t conclusively determine that he died due to suffocation.
Nor would a prone sleeping position be likely to cause his death.
There doesn’t appear to be foul play involved either.
Safe sleeping practices for babies needed
However, the coroner did warn parents and caregivers that unsafe sleeping practices, like a baby sleeping on one’s tummy, may possibly lead to death.
They should be put to sleep in the following:
- Alone — that is, not in the same bed as others
- On its back
- In a crib — without loose bedding, pillows and toys
Parents and caregivers should take note of the above and ensure that these are followed. They don’t have to be in another room but they shouldn’t share the bed with others when sleeping.
Regardless of how the baby died, it appears that he wasn’t put to sleep in a safe enough manner.
This is not to blame the helper, but it is a good thing to know for caretakers.
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Featured image adapted from NTUC Income.
