Mother discovers her baby boy is dead during a standard postnatal check-up - as police investigate whether a popular sling carrier killed him
- A mother who carried her baby to a postnatal check up did not realise he died
- She handed him to a nurse who realised the three-week-old was not breathing
- Police are investigating whether a sling carrier had anything to do with his death
A mother who carried her baby to a postnatal check-up in a sling carrier realised the newborn was dead when she handed him to a nurse for examination.
The woman, from NSW's Central Coast unwrapped her three-week-old son from his baby sling and gave him to a nurse at the Long Jetty Community Health Centre.
Only then did nurses realise he had stopped breathing at some point during the short walk. They performed CPR but 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.
A mother who carried her baby to a postnatal check-up in a sling carrier realised the newborn was dead when she handed him to a nurse for examination (stock image)
She spoke to nurses for between eight and 10 minutes before she handed him over, The Daily Telegraph reported.
Police have not ruled out the sling's potential contribution to the little boy's death, but are not treating the fatality as suspicious.
The little boy's body was sent to a Newcastle morgue.
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A post mortem report will be presented to the Coroner and an inquest into his death is expected to be held.
The baby had a slow heart rate after the mother was induced and the medical team performed a forceps delivery, but was not believed to have any other underlying conditions.
The woman, from NSW's Central Coast unwrapped her three-week-old son from his baby sling and gave him to a nurse at the Long Jetty Community Health Centre
The chief midwife at Red Nose Australia, Jane Wiggill, said regulations surrounding fabric slings are currently quite lax.
In fact, she said there are currently no regulations or standards in Australia relating to their use.
'Using baby slings is a suffocation risk, especially if a baby is placed incorrectly in a sling,' she said.
'This is because babies do not have the physical ability to move out of dangerous positions that can block their airways. This includes lying in a sling with a curved back, with their chin to chest; or lying with their face pressed against the fabric of the sling or the wearer's body — as it makes it difficult to turn their head when pressed against the fabric.
She said the slings pose a greater risk to babies under four months of age, those who were born premature or those who already have breathing difficulties.
Parents are urged to exercise caution when using baby carriers.
