36-day-old infant dies after sleeping with parents

The baby's parents took her to KK Women's and Children's Hospital at around 9am.
PHOTO: ST FILE

SINGAPORE - A 36-day-old baby died on Tuesday (June 20) morning, after co-sleeping with her parents the night before.

Lianhe Wanbao reported that the infant's parents decided to let her sleep in their bed as they believed it would be easier to feed her.

According to the Chinese evening daily, the infant's father noticed something was wrong in the morning and discovered that she had stopped breathing.

The baby's parents then took her to KK Women's and Children's Hospital at around 9am.

Police said they were informed that an infant was pronounced dead at the hospital at around 10.16am and are investigating the unnatural death.

Shinmin reported that the child has an older brother.

Co-sleeping reportedly increases the risk of suffocation for babies.

Dr Janice Wong, a paediatrician at Thomson Paediatric Centre, told The Straits Times in an earlier report that parents are always advised not to sleep with their baby. Babies should be placed in a cot.

This is to avoid the risk of parents rolling onto the baby and possibly causing the infant to suffocate.

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