A FIVE-week-old baby boy was discovered grey and bleeding from the nose by his mum after being carried in a sling.
Little Ruadhán Bradshaw-Hall passed away in December 2022, an inquest held at Dublin District Coroner’s Court heard.
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His cause of death was attributed to sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), when an apparently healthy baby unexpectedly passes away during sleep – often during the first six months of their life.
Only 200 babies die of SIDS in the UK, so the occurrence is very rare.
It’s thought to affect babies born prematurely or with a low birth weight who are exposed to environmental stressors like tobacco smoke, getting tangled in bedding, a minor illness or a breathing obstruction.
Dr Michael McDermott, who carried out a postmortem on baby Ruadhán, told the court that while it was extremely rare, and that there was a link between the use of slings and an increased risk of SIDS.
Ruadhán was wrapped in a jersey sling to protect him from “arctic” weather as his family visited a Christmas market near their home in Garristown on December 10, 2022, breakingnews.ie reported.
An ambulance was called after Ruadhán’s mum, Sinéad Hall, found him unresponsive, and the tot passed away 11 days later.
It was later determined that the baby had suffered from severe brain injuries due to a lack of oxygen.
The court heard that the jersey sling Ruadhán had been wrapped in “may or may not” have compromised his ability to breathe, according to The Irish Times.
Keith Bradshaw, the tot’s father, told the court that if he and Sinéad had been aware of a link between slings and SIDS they “would have been more cautious” in using one.
He asked that information around slings and the risk factors associated with using them be made available to new parents.
The coroner overseeing the case said she intended to write to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) about the issue, to ensure more parents are made aware of possible risks and that guidance around the safe use of slings is spread by maternity hospitals and GPs.
Keith recounted how he, Sinéad and their children went to a Christmas a short distance from their home, placing Ruadhán’s into a sling to carry him.
As the weather was “arctic”, he gave his partner a large jacket of his to wear on top of the sling.
The baby “appeared to be sleeping” throughout their walk and it wasn’t until they returned back home about 20 minutes later that Sinéad found Ruadhán unconscious, with grey-tinged skin and blood coming from his nose.
Keith’s teenage stepson performed CPR on the tot while they waited 27 minutes for the ambulance to arrive. He was then taken to Children’s Health Ireland.
Ruadhán spent 11 days in the paediatric intensive care unit.
Keith described this time as “11 days of hell.”
What is sudden infant death syndrome?
Most sudden and unexplained deaths happen during the first six months of a baby’s life.
Infants born early or with a low birthweight are usually at greater risk of the syndrome.
Baby boys are usually more commonly affected by sudden infant death syndrome.
It usually happens when a baby is asleep, although it can happen when they are awake.
The exact cause is unknown, but a number of things are thought to be a factor.
Experts think that it can occur at a particular stage in a baby’s development – therefore babies who are vulnerable to certain stresses can be more at risk.
This vulnerability could be due to being born prematurely or having a low birthweight, or for other reasons.
Getting tangled in bedding, tobacco smoke, a minor illness or a breathing obstruction can also be a factor.
A report warns parents to avoid these unnecessary “aids”, such as baby hammocks, cot bumpers, cushioned sleeping pods, pillows, duvets and nests.
Experts urge families to only put their baby to sleep on firm, flat, waterproof surface.
PHE and cot death charity The Lullaby Trust issued the warning in a guide, which came as evidence suggested more than one in three parents has bought or considering buying a sleep aid.
“It was like a war zone. It was the most wretched surreal thing,” he told the court according to breakingnews.ie.
Though Ruadhán’s condition seemed to improve at various points, the tot suffered a bad seizure, leading his parents to decide that they needed to “let him go”, Sinéad said in a written statement.
“Our little boy was ripped from our lives” in a moment of “violence”, Keith recalled.
He said his son’s death had left the family “stumbling through a fog of grief”.
RISKS OF SLINGS
Pathologist Dr Michael McDermott concluded that the little boy had died as a result of SIDS, as a postmortem had been unable to identify any other cause for his collapse.
The tot suffered a “significant brain damage as a result of a lack of oxygen to the brain”, he explained.
He said “compromised sleeping positions” were a factor in about half of recent SIDS cases, with the risk of it increasing for babies sleeping in a bed or in their parents’ arms.
In relation to baby slings, Dr McDermott said parents’ clothing as well as the sling’s material and the position a baby is placed in could affect their breathing.
Safety tips for using slings
Slings and baby-carriers are useful for holding a baby hands-free, but there are things you should keep in mind to make sure you’re using them safely.
Though there isn’t much evidence that slings are directly associated with SIDS, The Lullaby Trust says there have been a number of deaths worldwide where infants have suffered a fatal accident from the use of a sling.
These accidents are particularly due to suffocation, and particularly in young babies.
The risk of SIDS is higher when a baby’s airway is obstructed either by their chin resting on their chest or their mouth and nose being covered by a parent’s skin or clothing.
When wearing a sling or baby carrier, keep in mind the TICKS guidelines:
- Tight
- In view at all times
- Close enough to kiss
- Keep chin off the chest
- Supported back
This is to ensure that your baby’s airway is kept clear, and so you can check that they are able to breathe easily and are not overheating.
Complete guidance is available by visiting The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents.
Source: The Lullaby Trust
“There are some risks involved in the use of baby slings,” he observed.
But Dr McDermott stressed that Ruadhán’s parents should not blame themselves about what happened.
“This is a tragic death. This is nobody’s fault. This is not something you did or failed to do,” he added.
Coroner Dr Cróna Gallagher concluded that Ruadhán had died from SIDS while being carried in a sling, “which is an additional risk factor for SIDS” but not a direct cause.
She added that it was a natural instinct for parents to want their baby close to them.
“It wasn’t anybody’s fault. It was a very unfortunate and tragic death,” Dr Gallagher stressed.
‘A BEAUTIFUL BOY’
As the inquest concluded, Keith said not a day that goes by that the family doesn’t think about Ruadhán.
He expressed hope that something positive could result from their son’s death, telling the coroner that a charitable foundation had been set up in Ruadhán’s memory and already raised €50,000.
In a written statement, Sinéad described her late son as “a most beautiful, gentle, placid boy with the deepest darkest eyes.”
“I loved you and cherished every moment I had with you,” she said
“By trying to keep him warm and close to me, I put him in harm’s way. I will never forgive myself for that.”
“The grief of losing him is unbearable but it is also a testament to how much I loved him. My heart will never heal from the loss.”
