Newborn baby dies sleeping with mother

The death of an eight-day-old baby girl reinforced the danger of parents taking a child to bed with them, Hastings coroner Chris Devonport says.

He found Te Uetuhiao Samantha Riki died of accidental asphyxiation as a result of sleeping in a single bed with her mother in their Hastings home last June, Hawke's Bay Today reported.

"A sleeping adult could not account for their movements...and such an environment was unsafe for a newborn infant," Mr Devonport said after an inquest.

The dangers of infant bed-sharing were heightened when the known risk factors - smoking during pregnancy, fatigue, deep sleeping, and consumption of alcohol or drugs - were present, Mr Devonport said.

"Of concern was the decision to have the infant sleeping in the single bed with her.

"(The mother) was counselled strongly about the dangers of bed sharing, especially as she had smoked during pregnancy."

After feeding her baby about 3am, the 35-year-old mother hadn't realised her baby was dead when she woke the following morning.

She was alerted only by a visiting cousin, who on seeing baby Te Uetuhiao, said: "Your daughter has gone blue".

In his recommendations, the coroner said bed sharing was a potentially unsafe environment for a newborn infant.

"This must continue to be publicised with a view to preventing deaths occurring in similar circumstances."

- NZPA