Lydia Pass, 18, discovered her five-day-old daughter Arabella Mayer unresponsive in her arms after falling asleep with her while sitting in a chair. The incident occurred in the early hours of June 17 at the family home in Abbey Hulton, Stoke-on-Trent.
Difficult birth and exhaustion
Arabella was born at the Royal Stoke University Hospital on June 12. The birth was described as 'particularly difficult', with Lydia losing 'pints of blood' and possibly suffering from anaemia-related exhaustion. After taking Arabella home, Lydia and her partner Ryan, 18, went to bed around midnight after feeding and settling her. They woke at 3am to Arabella crying, changed and fed her, and returned to bed. Lydia later fell asleep with Arabella in her arms.
Emergency response and hospital care
When Lydia woke and found Arabella not breathing, her brother called 999 and began CPR. Paramedics rushed the baby to the Royal Stoke, where doctors revived her heartbeat. However, Arabella had been 'clinically dead' for around 50 minutes. Dr Sukesh Mohta, a consultant in paediatric intensive care, said: 'The brain can only survive for around four or five minutes without oxygen. Anything longer than that is seriously concerning.' Arabella was placed in an induced coma to protect her brain, but a brain scan showed very poor results. Life support was withdrawn on June 20.
Inquest findings
Paediatric Pathologist Marta Cohen suggested Arabella could have asphyxiated due to an undiagnosed genetic problem or the way she fell asleep. Detective Inspector Adam Goodyer of Staffordshire Police's child protective services ruled out neglect, stating: 'In my conclusion, it's a very sad tragedy. Her exhausted mum had picked her up in the night to settle her and then fallen asleep with Arabella in her arms. There are no neglect issues here.'
Coroner Lindsey Tonks recorded a conclusion of delayed sudden death in the context of unsafe sleeping. She said: 'Here we have two parents and an extended family who had got everything ready for their newborn... The birth had taken a lot out of Arabella's mum. That and the challenge of being a new mum had left her exhausted. She awoke to find Arabella unresponsive in her arms with no idea how she came to be there. Her mum did everything she could.' The coroner offered sincere condolences, adding: 'This was a terribly tragic situation that no parent would ever want to experience.'
