Source : Perth Now news
A coroner probing the death of a baby girl with traces of methamphetamine in her hair has found she died because of complications related to coronavirus and a throat infection in the setting of an unsafe sleeping environment.
Victorian Coroner Therese McCarthy released her findings this week, after the death of the two-month-old, given the pseudonym Baby M, in Melbourne’s southeast suburbs, in July 2023.
The coroner found Baby M’s mother had been given and implemented much of the standard safe sleeping advice given to parents, but the baby girl died after being put to sleep in her cot with her head to one side on a pillow, with her body under a blanket which at some point rode up over her head.
Methamphetamine found in the baby’s hair was not found in her blood, and did not cause or contribute to Baby M’s death, the coroner said a forensic pathologist had determined.
The coroner acknowledged Baby M’s mother, identified only as Ms L, “loved her daughter, engaged with her and was focused on her care”.
“No adverse comments can be made about the conduct of any person involved,” Ms McCarthy said.
“Her death was accidental and a tragic loss for her family, particularly Ms L.”
The forensic pathologist could not rule out that suffocation contributed to the death, but the medical ruling was; “Complications of coronavirus and adenovirus respiratory tract infection in the setting of an unsafe sleeping environment”.
Adenoviruses cause colds and flues.
The coroner also found Baby M’s mother took “reasonable, appropriate and extensive steps” to have the viral infections checked out.
Ms L stopped co-sleeping with Baby M when she had been advised to, and set up a cot and then removed an electric blanket from the cot when medical professionals told her too, the coroner found.
“The evidence shows that despite Baby M being placed in an unsafe sleeping environment on the day of her death, that Ms L had previously taken appropriate steps to address safe sleeping when she was provided with targeted education to assist her in doing so,” Ms McCarthy said.
Ms L and Baby M were living with “extended members of her supportive Samoan family in a house … (which had) eight adults and nine children living in the house”, though Ms L and Baby M had their own room.
The detective sergeant who investigated the death noted a “very close, integrated and loving family”.
“The language and culture of this supportive and extended Samoan family was evident in the body worn camera footage viewed by the court,” the coroner said.
Baby M’s biological father was not involved in her life at all.
Instead of formal recommendations in the coroner’s report, in comments Ms McCarthy says there can be conflicting information that new parents hear from people in their social networks, other organisations, and the official guidance from Red Nose and Safe Care Victoria.
“This guidance advises that there should be an educational approach with parents and caregivers about the need for infants to sleep on their backs from birth and that the safest place for an infant to sleep is on their own sleep surface in the same room as the carers,” Ms McCarthy said.
“New parents are often overtired, struggle with new information about multiple subjects related to how they care for a highly dependent little human being.”
