Mum speaks of 'unfathomable grief' as her baby dies in cot blanket
'This is the face of immense, unfathomable grief, the face of longing, of heartbreak, of self-inflicted GUILT. I will NEVER stop feeling responsible' ?
The devastated look on this young mum's face says it all ?
Here's a photo of mum Jordan DeRosier with her surviving son, taken a few weeks after she lost her younger son, 7-month-old Sloan, when he tragically died after his head got caught in a blanket while sleeping in his cot.
Speaking out to warn others about what can happen if your baby sleeps with a blanket, she wrote this in a Facebook post:
"He was last laid down to bed with this blanket made by his great-great grandmother, and one other blanket, a grey one he had been attached to since birth.
"They took the grey one he had been found with his head in. He had pulled it through the crib rails somehow and gotten himself stuck in it.
"You never think it will happen to you. You never think it will be your baby. Please do not put your babies to bed with a blanket. Please.
"He was 7 months old, I thought because he was crawling, standing on his own, and climbing, that he would be fine with a blanket.
"This is the face of immense, unfathomable grief, the face of longing, of heartbreak, of self-inflicted GUILT. I will NEVER stop feeling responsible.
"I will relive this for the rest of my life knowing EXACTLY what I could have done differently. Please learn from my world shattering mistake."
From what Jordan's said, it seems little Sloan wasn't actually put to bed with the blanket that suffocated him - but it was left within his view and reach somewhere near the cot and he was able to bring it in with him.
It's a reminder to make sure that, not only your baby's cot is clear, but the immediate area around doesn't have anything that might prove to be dangerous.
Recalling the very moment she found her little boy, in another utterly heartwrenching post, she says:
"I was the one who found Sloan. I went in to get him from his crib at 9:48am, opened the door and noticed he was on his stomach with his beloved blankie around only his head.
"I yanked it off, touched his back and felt that he was ice cold. I flipped him over and a blood curdling scream for Justin escaped me.
"His face and chest were completely purple on one side. His lips blue. His eyes closed. Justin came running in and I handed Sloan over to him. I remember the animalistic scream of "No!" that came out of Justin over and over.
"I remember him laying Sloan on the kitchen counter, trying to perform CPR while on the phone with 911. I was still screaming."
We have to say, we just can't BEGIN to imagine what the family's going through.
As you'd expect, they've had overwhelming support through messages on social media.
"I'm so sorry for your loss. Thank you for sharing to help others. God bless you and your husband. You and your family are in our thoughts and prayers. May your precious angel rest in peace," one person wrote.
Another said: "I am so sorry - I am crying and praying for your family right now!
"I so feel your pain - this happened to our family 35 years ago and I found my 11 day old son in his cradle... May God be with you this day and hold you in his loving arms!"
?
Here at MFM we try to share as much as we can about safe sleeping.
It's really important to ensure your baby has a clear cot, and if you do use a blanket in your baby's crib, it's vital to ensure it's tucked right in so there's no chance of it going over your little one's head and getting tangled up.
For now, our thoughts are very much with Jordan and her family at this difficult time ?
Image: Facebook/Jordan DeRosier
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Authors
Tara is mum to 1 daughter, Bodhi Rae, and has worked as Content Editor and Social Media Producer at MadeForMums since 2015
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