In August 2012, US mother Monica Thompson gave birth to a beautiful baby boy at Portland Adventist Medical Center in Oregon.
But just four days after Jacob was born, the new mother accidentally smothered the child in her hospital bed, 7 News reports.
Ms Thompson is now suing the Portland hospital for $US 8.6 million ($10.9m AUD), claiming that it is at fault for the death of the infant.
Ms Thompson alleges nurses put Jacob in bed with her in the middle of the night to be fed. She says she was heavily medicated with painkillers and sleep aids and fell asleep, OregonLive reports.
The lawsuit filed by Ms Thomspon alleges that when she woke up, she found her son was not breathing.
Doctors found the little boy had suffered severe hypoxia and that his brain was “severely and permanently damaged”. Six days later, he was removed from life support and sadly passed away when doctors advised his state was irreversible.
Ms Thompson claims the hospital has “directly caused her severe emotional distress, severe depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, severe anxiety and prolonged grief disorder”.
According to TIME, Portland Adventist Medical Center spokeswoman Kristi Spurgeon Johnson said she could not comment on the allegations or lawsuit until the hospital had reviewed to matter. The spokesperson also did not comment about the hospital’s policy on newborns and bed sharing.
SIDS and Kids Australia recommend that babies should sleep in their own safe sleeping environment next to a parent’s bed for the first 6–12 months of life, to help prevent infant deaths.
You can read more about safe sleeping here.
