Every parent wants the best for their child, and losing one is one of the most devastating things a person can ever experience. Sadly, a family from Britain experienced the loss of their seven-week-old baby due to a breastfeeding method that seems to be popular among young parents.
Now, following the tragic passing of baby James Alderman, whom his parents called Jimmy, the National Childbirth Trust (NCT) has issued a warning over breastfeeding babies in carriers, stating that hands-free breastfeeding is “always unsafe.”
Jimmy’s mom, Ellie, breastfed him while he was carried in a sling, The Sun reported. She then noticed the baby was unconscious and panic surged through her. Despite the attempts to revive him, Jimmy passed away three days later at a hospital. The cause of death was listed as suffocation.
An inquest into his sudden passing revealed that baby Jimmy was in an unsafe position too far down the sling and collapsed after a few minutes.
His face wasn’t covered, but he wasn’t getting enough oxygen inside the sling during breastfeeding.
Senior coroner for west London, Lydia Brown, wrote in a Prevention of Future Deaths Report that “very little” safety information about baby slings was available to parents despite a “significant increase” in their use.
She asked for industry standards promoting the safe usage of slings.
“There appeared to be no helpful visual images of ‘safe’ versus ‘unsafe’ sling/carrier postures,” she said, adding that “the NHS available literature provides no guidance or advice”.
“In my opinion action should be taken to prevent future deaths,” she said.
Jimmy’s dad, George Alderman, told Sky News, “Baby slings are sold as being a lifesaver, allowing you to get on with your business while your baby’s safe and close to you, but in this instance, we had our baby close, but not safe.”
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