Singapore— A baby boy who was just three weeks old and seemed healthy died in his sleep, while he was being carried by the confinement nanny hired to care for him. She had fallen asleep with the baby in her arms.
That tragedy happened on Nov 19, 2020. But what really happened to that baby?
On Oct 28, his parents got an answer that really was no answer when State Coroner Kamala Ponnampalam, ruled that the cause of his death could not be determined.
She said that the baby might have suffocated or died from sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). The coroner’s report was made public on Thursday (Oct 28), . The evidence uncovered has not suggested any foul play.
The baby had jaundice which is not uncommon in newborns and his voice was hoarse voice because he had suffered from acid reflux a few days before he died, CNA reported. The coroner noting in her findings that he was otherwise born healthy.
A camera had been set up inside the bedroom to check on the baby.
The confinement nanny, Madam Sien Yem Leng, 57, had worked for nearly two decades in this capacity, although she has no formal training.
She had bottle fed the baby at around 1am on Nov 19, and noticed he made some noises showing that he was in some discomfort.
He had spent a restless night, and the nanny held him in her arms in various positions to help him sleep.
The coroner’s report reads, “At some point, MAdAm SiEn sat on her bed leaning against the wall behind her, with (the baby) in her arms. He was held against her chest with his face resting on her shoulder. MAdAm SiEn dozed off.”
When the child’s mother awoke shortly past 4am, she found him apparently asleep in the arms of the nanny and “facing directly” on her chest. The nanny had also fallen asleep.
The child’s mother said that a yellow cloth Madam Sien had placed on her chest between herself and the child was on his face when she brought him to his cot.
The mother recounted that the nanny took the yellow cloth away after putting down the child.
The nanny said, however, that the right side of the baby’s face had been on her shoulder, and that he had not lain face down on her. She would move his face away from her shoulder when she held him in this manner, she explained.
After putting the baby in his cot, the nanny left the room to do chores.
When the mother checked on the baby, she saw that the left side of his face seemed to be darker.
When she held the baby and called to him, he was unresponsive, and that made her panic. This woke her husband, who came into the baby’s room. The findings say that when he touched the baby, he discovered that his son was cold to the touch.
The baby was taken to KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital (KKWCH), where efforts to resuscitate him were unsuccessful.
He was pronounced dead at 5:18 that morning.
Results from the autopsy showed the cause of death as unascertained. However, asphyxia and SIDS cannot be ruled out. The autopsy found that the baby had not inhaled or choked on milk, and there were no marks or injuries on his face.
Associate Professor Teo Eng Swee of the Health Sciences Authority, the forensic pathologist who conducted the autopsy, said that the yellow cloth the nanny had placed between herself and the baby could have obstructed his breathing, there was no objective autopsy evidence of it. /TISG
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