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Heartbroken mum from the US has shared a warning after the accidental death of her newborn baby boy.

Kristin Hoffman has shared her message on Facebook, begging mums ” No matter how tired you are as a mother, GET UP AND GO TO A CHAIR or somewhere you won’t fall asleep when you feed your child at night.”

Her baby boy was just seven weeks old when he accidentally slipped under the covers and suffocated after a night feed.

john.jay

Kristin wrote, WARNING:
It greatly pains me and shames me that this happened but I have to ask you all to please share and spread the word..

No matter how tired you are as a mother, GET UP AND GO TO A CHAIR or somewhere you won’t fall asleep when you feed your child at night.

My precious son slipped off my breast and into the covers of my bed early Sunday morning and into heaven. The way we discovered him was a tragedy I don’t want to hear this happen to anyone else.

John Thomas Michael Abernathy 4/10/17 – 6/4/17

Revived to be baptized in the name of the Father the Son and the Holy Spirit.”

Last December we shared the story of a heartbroken mother who spoke out about waking up next to her dead baby boy to warn other parents.

In September 2016 a Mother was charged with criminal homicide in the death of her two-month-old son after he suffocated while co-sleeping.

SIDS and Kids recommend how to Sleep your Baby Safely:

1. Sleep baby on the back from birth, not on the tummy or side

2. Sleep baby with head and face uncovered

3. Keep baby smoke free before birth and after

4. Provide a safe sleeping environment night and day

5. Sleep baby in their own safe sleeping place in the same room as an adult caregiver for the first six to twelve months

How can I make co-sleeping safe? via BabyCenter

Make sure your mattress is firm
Keep the bedding light and minimal
Never sleep on a sofa with your baby
Keep your baby warm, not hot, and dress him lightly for sleep
Don’t let your baby and toddler sleep next to each other in bed.

When is co-sleeping not safe?
Because of the increased risk of cot death, you shouldn’t co-sleep if:

•You or your partner smoke.
•Your baby was premature or had a low birth weight.
•You or your partner have been drinking alcohol, or have taken medication or drugs. This may affect your memory and you could forget that your baby is in your bed and roll over onto him. You may also sleep so soundly that you are unaware that you’ve rolled on to him.
•You are extremely tired, or have a sleep disorder, such as sleep apnoea. You may be in such a deep sleep that you don’t wake up if you roll onto your baby.

Red Nose recently said, annually, 3,200 families experience the sudden and unexpected death of a baby or child.

New guidelines for SIDS recently stated that infants should sleep in the same bedroom as their parents for at least the first six months of their lives.

The new guidelines also encourage skin-to-skin contact as soon as possible after birth to help prevent SIDS.

They emphasize the importance of placing infants on their back for EVERY sleep, naptime or night time, at home, at grandma’s, at day care and placing babies in a crib or bassinet with a firm mattress, without pillows, soft/loose blankets, bumper pads, or other soft objects, in mother’s/parent’s room close to her bed.

Share your comments below.

Related – All you need to know about co-sleeping

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  • what a sad mistake that could happen so easily. it is hard to get through night time feeds and its very sad that she experienced that.

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  • I know a few Mums who have done this. A few have been in warm weather with no loose covers of any type on the bed.
    Some say you shouldn’t put a baby in a stroller to sleep either.

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  • Such a tragedy that this Mum will have to live with for the rest of her life. I hope no-one criticizes her. I think she is doing enough to herself. I’m so sorry for your loss Kristin and I think you are a very strong woman to share this story and try to make other Mum’s aware. Sending big hugs and prayers to you and your family

    Reply

  • So sad I couldn’t read it all but I got the gist. How awful for the family – you are just SO fatigued with a newborn. Safety safety safety , it’s articles like this that remind us we need to be vigilant.

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  • Very sad story- I never tried to breast feed my kids to sleep so would always sit up and put them back in their own beds awake. It’s the safest and best way to form a good routine.

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  • Devastating! My heart breaks for this family.

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  • How very very sad for this mother and her family. It always shocks me how one simple wrong decision can lead to a lifetime of regret.

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  • I am so sad to hear of this, RIP little one and thoughts to the family.

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  • Heartbreaking indeed. This happens so easily ! I always fed while sitting up in bed or in a chair, but remember the times I fell asleep whilst feeding. One time I woke up with a shock, my baby was laying on the floor crying, dropped out of my arms whilst feeding…


    • That must have been a very scary moment!!

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  • So sad for this family, it does not take much for this to happen. My thoughts are with this family and others who have had this happen.

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  • So very sad to read about mum losing her baby this way. We always encouraged breastfeeding sitting up in bed or in a chair. Try not to co-sleep in bed but have the baby’s cot in the same room with parents. Hope family is receiving counselling.

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  • So sad to read this – the mother will never forgive herself.

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  • so heartbreaking. My heart goes to this poor mum.

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  • This is so heartbreaking ???? this poor mother and then to be charged with homicide. That’s so awful. My heart goes out to her and her family x

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  • So sad xxxxxxa new butterfly in the sky xxxx

    Reply

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