WAKING up to find your baby lifeless and unresponsive is every parent’s worst nightmare.
But that is exactly what happened to new parent Alex Reed, 29, who lost her five-month-old daughter just weeks before Christmas.
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“It feels like our purpose has been taken away,” the mum from Victoria, Australia, said.
As she prepared for Isla’s funeral today (Thursday), the heartbroken parent spoke out about her loss to raise awareness of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), the devastating condition believed to have taken her daughter’s life.
The morning of December 8 started like any other day.
Alex gave Isla her morning feed, shortly after her daughter had woken from a full night’s sleep.
When feeding time was over, mum and baby “dozed off” briefly before Alex woke to find Isla unresponsive.
Once the mum realised she couldn’t wake her daughter, she called emergency services and screamed down the street for help.
Alex and Isla’s dad Pat Willis, 28, then performed CPR until the ambulance arrived.
She praised the efforts of medics who did everything they could to save Isla.
“I begged them to not stop but they had to at some point,” she told Daily Mail Australia.
Her family joined together to spend some precious moments with Isla where they rocked, cuddled and sang You Are My Sunshine to her until the coroner arrived.
One minute you have your child and the next minute, they’re gone.
Alex Reed
Isla was a healthy little baby who had just learned how to roll over on her own and melted the hearts of everyone she met.
“She was the happiest little munchkin ever. We called her our perfect little lamb,” Alex said.
Christmas Day on Monday will look miles apart from the one the couple had been dreaming of.
“We had everything ready and were really looking forward to it,” they said.
Instead, they will be grieving the loss of their daughter.
It’s understood Isla died of natural causes.
The couple are now waiting for test results which will reveal whether Isla had a genetic condition or died from SIDS.
SIDS, also known as cot death, is the unexpected and unexplained death of a healthy baby within the first year of life.
In the UK, around 200 babies die suddenly and unexpectedly every year, according to the NHS.
In Australia, fewer than 100 babies die of the condition, figures from Red Nose suggests.
It typically occurs within the first six months of a baby’s life and usually when they are sleeping.
Alex said she now wishes they had used an ankle monitor which tracks a baby’s heart rate – as she issued a powerful plea to other parents.
She said: “I want other parents to be aware that one minute you have your child and the next minute, they’re gone.
“I urge new parents to monitor their babies closely as I don’t want anyone else to feel the pain we do right now.”
Read more on the Scottish Sun
The couple plan to set up a charity in Isla’s honour and become advocates for SIDS.
Friends have launched a GoFundMe page to support the couple while they grieve – which has already raised $10,000 (£5,295).
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AVOID SIDS
Health experts advise parents to reduce the risk of SIDS by:
- Avoid smoking while pregnant, and you should not smoke or allow people to smoke near your child
- Always place their kids on their backs when they go to sleep
- Parents should sleep in the same room as their newborns for the first six months of their lives
- Parents should not sleep with their baby on a sofa or armchair
- Ensure baby does not get too hot or cold
- If parents co-sleep, they should keep pillows and adult bedding away from the baby as well as any items that could cover their head or cause them to overheat
Source: NHS + The Lullaby Trust