A mother has described the heartbreaking loss of her 14-week-old son, who died unexpectedly from Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) just one day after a nurse said he was 'thriving'.
Nina Fallon, 24, from Dublin, said her baby Enzo-Adane was a 'perfectly healthy' infant when he was found unresponsive by his father, Adane-Joshua, 25, the morning after his three-month health check.
Routine check-up the day before
'The day before he passed away, he had a visit to the nurse for his three month check up and she said he was perfect and thriving,' Nina, a hotel chef, said.
Nina and Adane-Joshua are together but not living at the same address. 'The last time I saw Enzo-Adane, I dropped him off as usual. Everything was normal. He would wake up twice in the night and nap through the day. Adane-Joshua gave him a bottle at 5am and when he checked on him at 8am he was unresponsive.'
Nina said she was having her morning coffee when her partner called 'in hysterics saying that Enzo-Adane wasn't breathing. I was freaking out and just wanted to get to the hospital as fast as I could.' Emergency services arranged a police escort to get her to her son.
Desperate efforts to save him
When Nina arrived, around 15 medics surrounded the baby, trying to save his life. 'Seeing him surrounded by all those doctors was petrifying. He was so fragile and tiny. They worked on him for an hour and I told them to leave him alone.'
'I knew he wasn't coming back after an hour of them trying and his body was so little. I didn't want them on him pounding anymore. I just wanted him to be left alone. They'd done everything they could but he'd been gone for too long. Enzo-Adane wasn't coming back, I knew that in my heart and I just wanted him to be at peace.'
Nina said she was in 'overdrive' as she struggled to cope with the death, which came 10 days before he was due to be christened. 'They handed him to me and I held him and kissed him for half an hour. It was heartbreaking. I was so confused and I just didn't understand. Then we had to wait for answers and that was hell.'
Autopsy confirms SIDS
An autopsy carried out after Enzo-Adane's death in September last year confirmed he died from Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. 'It was just complete shock. We'd never experienced SIDs in our family. It broke my heart even more when we found out. It was hard to accept and even harder that there was no one to point the finger at. I'll just always have to question why this happened.'
Nina said the reality of losing her son has only recently begun to sink in. 'Life without him is so hard. I miss him every day. He was such a happy baby and he loved socialising. He was so advanced – he was laughing at two months old. Enzo-Adane was spunky and he completed the family. Only the last couple of months has reality kicked in that he's no longer here.'
Older son kept her going
Nina is also mother to three-year-old Eden-Asher. 'Luckily, Eden-Asher was so young that he didn't know what was going on, but I let him see Enzo and kiss him goodbye before the funeral. He knew in a way - you could tell because kids are smarter than we think. Eden-Asher is the only thing that's kept me going. If I didn't have him, I don't know where I'd be.'
Enzo-Adane was born on June 5, 2025, after a healthy pregnancy with no complications. 'Enzo-Adane was a surprise and I was nervous because Eden-Asher was still young and I would have two under two. It was a quick, smooth birth that only took an hour and there were no complications or issues. When I held Enzo-Adane for the first time, all the nerves faded away. He was perfect.'
Raising awareness of SIDS
Nina hopes her story will highlight that SIDS can strike without warning. 'There's just no warning. I was so strict. There were no toys or blankets in the cot and he was always flat on his back. You can do everything you're supposed to do and this can still happen.'
