Mystery after ‘beautiful’ baby girl just 9 weeks old found unresponsive in Moses basket after being ‘perfectly healthy’
MYSTERY surrounds the death of a baby girl who was found unresponsive in her Moses basket, having been seen as “perfectly healthy”.
Little Daisy-Mae Stanley was just nine weeks old when she was found at her grandma’s home on November 23.
Lisa Connor woke up to find Daisy-Mae was “floppy” and her face was partially covered by a blanket and up against the side of her Moses basket, an inquest held at Bolton Coroner’s Court heard on June 6.
The baby, from Leigh, Greater Manchester, was rushed to the Royal Albert Edward Infirmary in Wigan, where she later died.
The coroner heard that it could not be determined what the cause of her death was.
Daisy-Mae was born on September 17 last year after a “healthy pregnancy”.
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She weighted 6lb 11oz and was allowed home with her mum, Chelsey Jackson and dad, Brodie Stanley, the following day.
In the weeks after her birth, Daisy-Mae was given antibiotics for an umbilical infection but the inquest heard that the infection eventually cleared up and Daisy-Mae was reaching all of her developmental milestones.
Ms Jackson, 20, told the hearing her daughter would “skip a breath every now and then” and would, on occasion, fail to breathe for seconds at a time.
A week before Daisy-Mae’s death, on November 16, Ms Jackson took her to hospital after discovering a rash on her body.
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Paediatrician Dr Joanne Ashworth told the hearing the baby girl was diagnosed with a viral infection and discharged.
Daisy-Mae and her parents moved in with Mr Stanley’s parents on a temporary basis on November 22, the inquest heard.
Ms Jackson fed her daughter that evening before putting her to bed in the Moses basket next to her bed.
The baby woke up some time between 6.30 and 7.30am and Mr Stanley took his daughter into the lounge to be with her grandmother, Lisa Connor, before going back to bed.
Ms Connor changed Daisy-Mae’s nappy and tried to feed her before putting her back in the Moses basket, the inquest heard.
Daisy-Mae wouldn’t settle at first but eventually did at around 9am.
Once settled, Ms Connor placed a fleece over her granddaughter as she was worried the baby’s hands were cold, the inquest was told.
Ms Connor then fell asleep and woke up at 11.15am to find Daisy-Mae “unresponsive and floppy”.
Daisy-Mae’s face was against the side of the basket and partially covered by the blanket, the inquest heard.
RUSHED TO HOSPITAL
Ms Connor woke Daisy-Mae’s parents and they called for an ambulance.
Mr Stanley performed CPR on his daughter until the paramedics arrived.
Daisy-Mae was rushed to hospital but attempts to resuscitate her failed and she was later pronounced dead.
'DEVASTATED'
Ms Jackson said in a statement read out at the hearing she had been left “devastated” by the death of her daughter.
She said: "Our little girl is missed by all her family and friends and will remain in our hearts for the rest of our lives."
According to Pathologist Dr Melanie Newbould, a post-mortem examination had found “no obvious cause of death”.
She added she had not found any significant injuries or infection that could have contributed to the death of Daisy-Mae.
Dr Newbould said: "As in many cases of sudden and unexpected death in infancy, I'm not able to give a cause of death.
"In my opinion, the cause of death should be regarded as unascertained."
Police coroner's officer Marcheta Hogan said an investigation had found no suspicious circumstances or third party involvement in Daisy-Mae's death.
'OPEN CONCLUSION'
Coroner Stephen Teasdale recorded an “open conclusion,” saying: “It would appear there was nothing obvious that would have been missed by the parents. It simply is that the cause of death remains unascertained."
Daisy-Mae’s family paid a heart-felt tribute to their “beautiful baby girl” following the inquest.
They said: "Daisy Mae was the most beautiful baby girl we have ever seen," they said. "She was a happy and healthy baby girl and she had just started to smile.
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"Losing her has broke our family, it’s still such a shock to us all. Her brother Theo talks about her ever night before bed.
"When she left, she took a piece of our hearts and we will never forget her gorgeous smile. Forever in our heart mummy and daddy and your brother love you so much and will always talk about you. We miss you dearly. R.I.P. baby girl sleep tight."
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