A mother was deeply upset to discover her five-day-old baby lifeless in her arms upon waking up. Lydia Pass, 18, found her daughter, Arabella Mayer, unresponsive in the early hours of June 17 after falling asleep with the infant while seated in a chair.
Arabella was born at the Royal Stoke University Hospital on June 12 and brought home to Abbey Hulton, Stoke-on-Trent, shortly after her birth. Lydia and her partner Ryan, 18, put Arabella to sleep around midnight, only to be awakened at 3 am by the baby’s cries. After tending to Arabella, they returned to bed.
At 5:45 am, Lydia awoke to find Arabella unresponsive in her arms while sitting in a chair, with no memory of picking her up or falling back asleep. An inquest revealed that Lydia may have been suffering from exhaustion related to anemia following a challenging birth experience that led to significant blood loss.
Upon discovering that Arabella had stopped breathing, Lydia immediately sought help, leading to paramedics reviving Arabella’s heartbeat after being brought to the Royal Stoke. However, Arabella had been without a pulse for approximately 50 minutes.
Dr. Sukesh Mohta, a consultant at the hospital’s pediatric intensive care unit, explained the efforts made to protect Arabella’s brain function but ultimately had to make the difficult decision to withdraw life support on June 20. A pediatric pathologist suggested that Arabella’s sudden death could have been due to an undiagnosed genetic issue or related to her sleeping position.
Detective Inspector Adam Goodyer of Staffordshire Police’s child protective services ruled out neglect, emphasizing the tragic nature of the incident. Coroner Lindsey Tonks concluded that Arabella’s death was due to unsafe sleeping practices in a context of delayed sudden death.
The coroner highlighted the family’s care for Arabella and the absence of intentional harm or neglect, offering condolences and reassurance to the grieving family. The tragic event was a devastating loss that no parent should endure.