A five-week-old baby died after she was found lying face down between her parents by her mum, an inquest heard.
Macey Mower was just five weeks old when she was discovered unresponsive in her home.
Her parents Billy Mower and Rebecca Champ had family over to their house in Gillingham, Kent for a family barbeque in May last year.
Assistant coroner Katrina Hepburn explained how this was just "another normal day for Macey" and that she "received lots of kisses and cuddles from her family".
She said that Macey was described as a "normal healthy baby who was developing well", Kent Live reported.
The barbeque went on from 3pm until 8pm and Macey was regularly fed.
Throughout the day, her parents did consume alcohol.
Ms Champ said that she had "five cans of lager" while Mr Mower had "five beers and a vodka and orange".
According to the police report, both declined the opportunity to take a blood test.
Detective Inspector Dovey said that "he could smell alcohol on the breath when talking to the parents".
Due to the family being over and a nephew sleeping in the parent’s bed, a duvet was laid out on the living room floor and Macey slept in between her parents.
The last time she was seen alive was midnight.
Ms Champ woke up at around 5am on May 28 due to her body clock as this was when her baby usually woke up to be fed.
However, she noticed that Macey was lying face down beside her.
According to the South East Coast Ambulance report, they were called at 5.31am, at which point Ms Champ began CPR.
Paramedics had arrived by 5.35am.
Ms Champ opened the door, handed Macey over into their care and the ambulance arrived at Medway Maritime Hospital at 5.43am.
Sadly they were never able to revive Macey and the death was recorded at 6.19am.
Ms Hepburn explained that inquest into the infant’s death was held over a year later due to all the extensive medical reports that needed to be gathered for evidence.
All of these examinations came back anatomically inconclusive with cause of death initially given as undetermined.
Dr Tom Jacques, a neuropathologist for the Great Ormond Street Hospital, wrote a report which stated: "In my opinion, the examination of the brain doesn’t reveal the cause of death.
"There are no significant abnormalities to indicate the cause of death."
Dr Liina Palm and Dr Nat Carey carried out post-mortem exams which also found the cause of death to be undetermined, stating: "There were no signs of physical abuse or mistreatment."
The medical reports did suggest that co-sleeping "can be considered a safety risk for a baby like Macey" and that it is a "risk factor for sudden death".
It also found evidence of an alveolar in Macey’s lungs which is "consistent with an asphyxial mode of death".
The medical reports concluded that an inquest might be able to find a cause of death based on the balance of probabilities, and that is what Ms Hepburn did.
She concluded: "On the balance of probabilities, I find that Macey died of positional asphyxiation and the conclusion is misadventure. My sincere condolences for your loss."
The final cause of death was given as positional asphyxiation due to co-sleeping.
Source: Read Full Article